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How many things do you do if you just “don’t feel like it?” The list might be shorter than you expected. This is due to the fact that most of us believe that our feelings are the surest indicator of what we are to do. It could be that we are prone to act based on our senses because we’re trained to. For example, a hunger pang indicates eating time, consistent yawning tells us it’s time to sleep, and a good joke makes us laugh. All day long our five senses inform our decisions in one way or another. Is it unreasonable then for one to say, “If it feels good do it?” In our world “Taste Rules!” Right?
So what happens when feelings conflict with best wisdom? Whichever one you truly believe will win the tussle. A disciplined person enjoys the best of both worlds. While it is necessary to feel and sense, it is important to understand that feelings have to be mastered by something greater than it. While feelings provide information, it is only a contributor to the conversation and not the authority on it.
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Instead, principles must undergird our actions in order that we may be productive human beings. We get these principles from the Word of GOD, the Bible, which lays out how we are operate. The most wise GOD knows that if we do what we feel, for most persons, work may never happen, nor would the comfortable lifestyle we have come to enjoy. The benefits of working often place a silencer on our feelings. This same attitude can be applied to other areas of our lives.
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Love never asks us to “feel like it.” I know this is contrary to the “love feeling” that causes us to get hot under the collar, with fluttering butterflies and and uncontrolled blushing the moment he enters the room. What happens when that love makes a demand on us that causes us to go way beyond our comfort zone in order to help out? The truth is that, when we truly love, sacrifice comes with it instead of the mushy feelings.
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Here’s another way feelings submit to commitment… the young mother tiptoes into bed and sinks into sleep for an hour and a half, only to hear the baby’s alarming cry. She doesn’t have a conference with herself to find out how she feels. She gets to her baby and comforts him. It’s not about her, but her love causes her to sacrifice. In a relationship, married or preparing for marriage, it is equally important to master feelings and balance it with commitment.
We like to say we love Jesus. Jesus, however, says “If you love me, keep my commands.” Jn 14:15 In essence, love is demonstrated through commitment, sacrifice and faithfulness. So are we throwing out feelings? Of course not! Just don’t put as much weight and dependence on feelings which can change at any time. Who knows, you just might not “feel like it!”
“The truth is that, when we truly love, sacrifice comes with it instead of the mushy feelings.”
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