Feelings, Nothing More Than Feelings

Everyday we experience a lot of emotions. You may have been hungry as soon as you woke up this morning; excited as you smell the aroma of your French toast breakfast; and disappointed to find out that you don’t have enough milk to partner with your coffee.

Human behavior as we know can be explained by 2 major attributes namely, our thoughts and emotions. We know too, that the pattern by how we think and feel are influenced by our respective backgrounds in family, education and experiences. But wouldn’t you agree that many times, we are governed by our feelings? Have you gone home in regret of buying something impulsively? How about wishing you hadn’t said what you said that ‘way’?

This article was inspired by the book ‘The Relationship Principles of Jesus’ by Tom Holladay

If you ask me, more often than not, we only do what we do because we feel like doing it. We choose what we eat because our pallets’ looking for that specific dish. I read from a book once that life is not a buffet. We cannot just choose to live on days when life is exciting, fun and safe. Rather, we have to go through every single day not knowing whether we’ll be hit by the most unwanted and devastating news of a dead relative or the unpleasant surprise of being replaced. Of course, when these things meet us in the face, our first reaction is? You guessed it! Our feelings!

“You cannot make yourself feel something you do not feel, but you can make yourself do right in spite of your feelings.” -Pearl S Buck

We know we are to show love and love our neighbor. Yet when we don’t feel like it, we don’t. Then we justify it by saying, “I’m not a hypocrite.’ On the contrary, you are being a hypocrite when you do not ACT in love when you not only know you should but also are commanded to. Let’s pause and think about our Jesus the night before His crucifixion. He asked His Father, to take the cup away from Him. He didn’t feel like it BUT He prayed yet not My Will but Yours be done. He acted in love that saved us all! (Luke 22:42)

Jesus never asked us to love when we feel loved by that person or when we’re in the mood. He commanded us to act in love. Do it! Don’t give up loving people. You’ll see and harvest fruits someday.

Now, wouldn’t you agree with the song, ‘feelings, nothing more than feelings!’?