"Feelings! Nothing more than FEEEELINGS...

"Trying to forget my, feelings of love."  Remember that song?  There were several versions of this song about FEELINGS of love lost.  Emotions are a funny thing, aren't they?  They can float us high in the air, or bury us deep in the ground.  And you know the saying, "You can't argue with feelings." :)

I read in a devotional this morning about feelings.  Here's part of what was said:
"Many things stir my emotions: worship, silence, a kiss on the forehead from my husband, my son's belly laugh, the voice of a treasured friend.  Most of the time, however, what awakens my feelings is less heart-warming; being misunderstood, driving on icy roads, sleepless nights, and customer assistance numbers that do not let you speak to a human.
Whether pleasant or painful, our emotions are in need of cautious and careful monitoring.  Why?  Because we live in a world that loudly proclaims, "What feels good, is good.  What feels bad, is bad."  And in such an environment we can easily confuse feeling with fact."  

AIN'T THAT THE TRUTH!?!?!

Have you ever confused feeling with fact?  Boy, have I been guilty of this!  ESPECIALLY when it's something negative - or rather something I perceive as negative.  I'm a very emotional person - I know that shocks some of you - ha ha!!!  But seriously, when I watch movies, I put myself in the character's situations.  When I read books, I find the character I relate to the most and I take on their emotions and challenges.  When I hear stories, the same happens.  When I listen to a song, YUP, you guessed it!  Almost everything I encounter on a daily basis somehow affects my emotions.

Texts and emails are THE WORST!  Do you feel that way?  Do you ever catch yourself saying, "well, what did she mean by THAT!?" when you read a simple one line email?  "Was she mad at me or something?  Why such a short response?"  Or possibly, "what's behind THAT statement?!  Does she think I'm stupid or something?"  Have you ever been guilty of projecting emotions onto others?  Creating a scenario in your brain of what's happening and therefore confusing the scenario you've created with the true situation?  Maybe she responded so quickly because she was about to get in the car and drive somewhere but wanted you to know your text or email was important enough to respond to immediately.  Did you think about that?  Or what if her child needed help at the moment she was sitting down to type you an email and she could only get out one sentence?  

It's way too easy to confuse feeling with fact?  And why is it that many times, we don't give each other the benefit of the doubt when it comes to things like that? What is your initial response?  Do you find it easier to believe someone was mistreating you or that there might be something about the situation you don't know?

What if we put some extra effort into giving others the benefit of the doubt?  What if we put extra effort into understanding there are always at least two sides to every story?  We might find that we get along better with others and even that our own emotions seem to simmer down a bit.  

And to take it one step further, what if we spend more time reading truth in God's Word than constructing negative scenarios without having all the facts?  I love how my devotional put it this morning, "Our safeguard in a world where culture and media seek to benefit by manipulating our emotions is God's unchanging Word.  God's truth is subject neither to hormones nor to Hollywood.  His Word is nonperishable, non-pliable, and eternally free of decay."  

Again, AIN'T THAT THE TRUTH?!

What a relief!!!  We know God's Word isn't affected by hormones - HALLELUJAH!! Nor is it affected by Hollywood's lures. It doesn't perish, it isn't soft like clay so just anyone can shape it into something else, and it does NOT decay!!  That is powerful!  That is strong!  That's something I can stand on.  When there are questions about emotions, how I should emotionally handle situations, I can run to His Word.  When I need encouragement because of something I've created in my own head, I can run to His Word.  When there is reality to the negative in my life, I can run to His Word.  For help, for a safe haven, for advice, for comfort, for encouragement, I can run to His Word.  It's alive and it's real and it's applicable to my life today.  

"The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.  The statues of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.  The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.  ' Psalm 19:7-8 (NIV)


Anyone up for a run?  Let's make our first run in every situation a sprint to God's Word and see how that will positively change our lives!

Thanks for being you...

jenny