At some point, most of us face moments when (we feel as if) our best efforts to follow God just aren’t adding up. The health issue we prayed would get better… gets worse. The sick loved one we had hoped for God to heal passes away. The friendship where we tried to “own” our issues in order to seek restoration shatters irreparably. The legal issue on the docket went towards the other side. The bad job situation ends with us getting fired. The person we were trying to help chose their addiction over freedom. We serve in church only to get grilled by someone we love about not spending enough time with them. I could go on and on. You could probably fill in your own life example(s).

 

There are times when faith feels like it isn’t making sense…

 

How do we reconcile our Christianity with our feelings in those moments? I’d imagine every person’s answer to that question looks a little differently. I hate admitting it but my first inclination is often blame. The finger begins pointed at others. Before long, I start looking in the mirror and directing those frustrations back at myself. It isn’t usually long after that until I throw my head in my face with no one left to blame but God. I have had my fair share of “duke it out with God” conversations. I’d imagine you have too. I am grateful for a God can handle my pesky emotions. I find comfort in the fact that the Lord knows how I’m wired. I am amazed by the countless times I have felt God meet me in those moments.

 

So what do we do when we’re having a hard time lining up our emotions with what we know to be true about God? I confess I don’t have all the answers, but I want to give you some thoughts to consider.

 

1. It’s okay if the right answer (you probably already know) isn’t changing your emotional experience.

 

Feelings are strange things. They are complicated. They can change quickly or last a really long time. Old ones can suddenly reappear out of nowhere. The longer we walk with Jesus, the more our brains get filled with Bible verses — and that is an amazing thing! God’s Word is our weapon to fight back against the darts of the enemy and to battle the negative dialogue within. Having said that, there are times when having the right answer to apply to our situation is not changing our emotional experience. Personally, I think that’s okay. God is more interested in what we do than what we feel.

 

2. Faith kicks in when we do the opposite of what we’re feeling.

 

There are lots of things in life that we “do” even when we don’t feel like it. I never feel like doing my workout. Some people tell me that will change eventually. It has not yet happened for me. I do it anyways because I know deep down that it’s better than passivity. I do not wake up intuitively wanting to read my Bible and pray. I do it anyways. I push myself to open up about an area of struggle in small group when my “default” is to be quiet. Last weekend, I shared a message on how easy it is to “lose that loving feeling” towards God. I highly recommend you listen to it (grab the podcast here if you’d like) if the words of this blog are resonating with you. The point I’m trying to communicate is that when we do what we know God is asking in spite of what we feel, that’s the essence of faith. Hebrews 11:1 says “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” For the purposes of this post, we could tweak the wording to say that faith is the assurance of an outcome when the feelings are not experienced.

 

Is there an area in your life where faith feels like it’s not making sense right now? Leave a comment below or send me a note if that’s the case. I’d love to pray for you. Also, this little chart is on the back of Lisa and I’s bathroom mirror. It helps me when I’m not sure what to do. I hope it blesses you too. I’m not sure where it’s from (Lisa might know) but I love it!

 

 

In Christ,

 

Pastor Kyle

 

P.S. Here’s your Nygel fix. Please stop telling me how big he is getting. I am already beginning to cry about his upcoming college graduation.