A Fresh Look at Faith: Meditations on Life in the Spirit
A Series by Dr. Rich Blue of the Center for Christian Life Enrichment on Faith and Spirituality
Feelings are the language of our hearts. Feelings remind me of my humanity. They point me to what I yearn for. We find comfort in reading the Psalms because they are songs of our souls replete with heartfelt expressions of feelings regarding what matters most to us. Feeling and expressing our feelings is a vital part of living life abundantly. Jesus was a feeling filled human being who passionately manifested his pain as well as his joy through the expression of his feelings. He rejoiced, celebrated, felt angry, grieved, and even bled in the expression of his feelings. Feelings stand on their own side by side with our thoughts on our pilgrimage of faith.
Historically, the church has not always championed feelings. In fact, in my early days of being a Christian, there was significant controversy regarding the role of faith and feelings. Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru), made famous the Train Diagram found in the Four Spiritual Laws (a popular evangelistic tool). According to Bright, the train diagram summarized the ABC’s of the Christian life. It was a train with three cars. The first was the engine, “Fact”, the second was the coal car, “Faith”, and the caboose, “Feelings.” Bright explained that the Christian life was built on faith in the certainty of God’s Word. According to Bill, the train could run with or without the caboose, feelings.
Diminishing feelings made sense to me as a young man because I did not trust my feelings. As a new believer in Christ, I feared that they seemed to be in conflict with the teachings of Scripture. My dichotomous mind mistakenly believed that my feelings, unlike my rational mind, were subjective and unreliable. My feelings were not objective truth nor a fruit of the Spirit (unless of course, they were joyful). I associated feelings with urges and thought that mastery over my emotions made more sense if I was going to be a faithful follower of Christ. I believed my mind was more trustworthy than my heart.
How often do we confuse thoughts with feelings? Routinely, I hear people say, “I don’t feel like God loves me” or “I don’t feel that God has a plan for my life” or “I don’t feel forgiven.” Except for the word “feel”, these are not feelings. These are internal judgments—self-talk based on mistaken core beliefs about ourselves, others and God. When we listen to these accusations we are sure to generate a host of painful feelings. This is the dynamic of a self-fulfilling prophecy. In fact, many of our most painful feelings are in response to our own critical thoughts.
Feelings are not indictments or signs of weakness. Instead, they are our heart responses to our thoughts and experiences. We are created in the image of God and feelings represent an important component of our personal truth. Our hearts are intended to be in partnership with our heads. Feelings are an important and dynamic aspect of the life of faith. Feelings are connectors. They allow us to empathize and identify with one another. They are what powerfully unite us with ourselves, each other, and God. Feelings lead us to our deepest yearnings—to love and be loved, belong, matter, and make a difference, to mention a few. The scriptures record that Abraham, David, Mary, and Jesus all freely expressed feelings as they experienced their journey of faith.
Frequently, I find myself using thoughts to mask my feelings. I try and “think” my way through my feelings, especially when I am trying to avoid acknowledging my hurt, pain, and sense of powerlessness. Feeling our feelings demands faith. Oftentimes, I do not have the courage to face my sadness, fear, hurt and anger. It takes the fortitude of faith to choose to consciously embrace my pain and suffering as Jesus did throughout his life. Without my feelings, it is easier to numb out and avoid the truth of what I am experiencing at the moment. Jesus boldly experienced his feelings and prayed for the strength to embrace his pain as well as his joy.