Feelings

I've been pondering this for quite some time. Obviously, we were created with emotions and these are gifts from God. However, I also know that these emotions can cause us problems in our walk with Him.

There are times when we may feel exceptionally close to Him. We have the sense that He is with us, and surrounds us with his loving presence. Those are wonderful times in a Christian's walk. The fact is there is no feeling that is better.

At other times, though, we may feel abandoned. We have the sense that He is gone and has withdrawn from us. These are painful and hard times in a Christian's walk. The fact is that there is no feeling that is more hurtful.

However, the reality is that we cannot trust our feelings about our closeness to Him. Paul says, for we walk by faith and not by sight. He might just as well have said, we walk by faith and not by feelings. Our feelings can be wrong, and inaccurate.

Our sight can be off. We've had blizzards here in sunny but freezing SoDakota, and I must tell you those blizzards...are really something. You can be driving along and think you know where the road is, but a sudden gust of howling wind, and blowing snow, whites out the road right in front of you. Sight... is not such a good guide in times like these. :)

Ever taken offense at a comment that was meant innocently? Ever assumed something about someone that was incorrect because of a feeling that you had? These are just examples of how we can be misled.

The good news, though, is that the Lord knows how He made us. He's given us His word to follow. If we trust in that and walk by faith in the word when those doubts and feelings of abandonment set in, we'll know that He is always with us... He promised He would be.

So today, I'm going to work on walking more by faith and less by sight. More by faith, and less by feelings.

Be Blessed!