Feelings

Yesterday at our girl's discipleship mtg, we talked about feelings. Ah, doesn't that remind you of a song? Ha! It was a wonderful mtg, and I was very convicted. How often do I vest my feelings with undue authority. The world around us says that if I feel something, than it is thus true. It somehow has validity just because it is something I am experiencing. However, while the feelings we experience are very real, they are not the final word. They act as my soul's barometer, giving me clues as to what I'm actually believing about God. As well, how often do I stop what I'm doing and do a quick "feeling check." "How am I doing? How am I feeling?" This can be helpful ONLY if I don't stop there. I must assess my feelings and then quickly move on to determining what those feelings tell me about my heart towards God. So if I am feeling hopeless...It is not enough to identify that hopelessness. I must then stop and repent of my unbelief towards my Savior. And then fueling my heart with fresh reminders of His unending faithfulness to me in the past, I can then meditate on how He will be faithful to me in the future. Hopelessness just does not have place in the Gospel. Lord, would you strengthen me for the task of unpacking my feelings. May I not become content with wallowing in these vast and varied emotions - but may they be tools that draw me ever closer to You and into a greater treasuring of Your Gospel!!!!