Sometimes being a human has some pretty emotional moments. We’ve all had our moments when we’ve just been completely overwhelmed by emotion, whether it was sorrow, joy, anger, or something else entirely. We all experience those huge surges of feeling that carry us on the wave of their intensity.
That’s all fine and good in its place, of course. Who hasn’t wanted to completely let themselves go in a moment of joy? What person isn’t justified in grief over losing a loved one? Even anger itself has its place in marking out where justice is needed.
But as wiser people than me have said: Feelings are not facts.
Whatever it is we feel in the moment, it doesn’t actually have any bearing on the facts of the situation. Nowhere is this more apparent than in following Christ. Somewhere along the line, many, many people have been sold the tragic lie that you have to feel faithful in order to actually have faith. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Faith is not a feeling. I cannot stress that enough. If you hear nothing else from me today, hear that. Your faith is not a feeling.
So many people have been sold the lie that you have to feel faithful to actually be faithful and the results of this lie are absolutely devastating. It’s this line of thinking that sees belief crumpling at any first real test. The second following Christ gets hard and someone doesn’t feel the calm peace of faithfulness they think that equals not having been faithful at all. And if they’re not faithful did they ever believe at all? Suddenly, nothing sits right anymore and they’re on to the next thing that will give them that peaceful high of feeling completely immersed in faith. They want to feel good again.
Following Christ was never meant to operate this way.
Mark my words, there are going to be days when absolutely no part of you feels like following God. Listening to what he says won’t just feel good. You won’t feel that high that you first felt when you decided to follow him. The world is going to try to tell you that that means you don’t believe anymore, but the truth is those are two very separate things in two very separate categories.
Think of it like being in love. C.S. Lewis has a beautiful piece of writing on being in love where he presents it in the same light as I’m trying to do here talking about faith. He also argues that we can’t put all our hope in feelings because they fade and we want to be left with something deeper. In my opinion, that something deeper is choice.
Think of the people you love most in your life. There have been days I’m sure where you’re not exactly overflowing with love for them. They might even downright irritate and anger you. If love were a feeling that would be more than enough reason for you to walk out the door and never come back. But you don’t. You still text them to drive safe, pick up their favorite treat, listen to their problems, and believe in them. You still love them even when you don’t feel that love. You choose it.
Faith is no different. It’s not a feeling, it’s a choice.
On the days when we feel completely devoid of faith in God, those are the days when we need to choose to be faithful. It’s a conscious action, a discipline. Something much deeper than any feeling could carry us. While all our feelings are roiling around in us, begging us to run for the hills, our deepened, disciplined faith will keep us steady and looking to God for what to do next no matter how we are feeling.
God never intended us to just have feeling towards him. He doesn’t ask us to “feel” faithful. He asks us to “be” faithful. It’s a state of being carved out of constant, continuous choice. And yes, it’s much harder than a feel good high. But you know what? It’s also so much more satisfying for our souls.
Let’s nourish ourselves on what actually carries our faith. Let’s learn to choose over feel.
Let’s find some joy,
A
Avalon Robinson Author 