Friend, let me just open us and say that there is nothing new under the sun in terms of feelings. Human nature has not changed since the fall. We are still made in His image, with all the emotions He hardwired into us with when He created us.
Let me just remind you again that a feeling in itself is not wrong. Its a feeling. What you DO with the feeling determines whether it will harm or bless you.
I have come up with a list (from my taking a look at the Word) which shows God’s reminders on how to handle these feelings.
This is not a complete list, but rather an overview to reassure you that God knows how you are feeling, as He is with you at all times. There is nothing you are feeling that He will not respond to you about and guide you through if you bring it to Him.
As well, I want to mention again that it is okay to feel what you are feeling. A friend just lost her beloved father this morning, and she is hurting with fresh grief and loss. It’s important to acknowledge feelings in a honest way, but making a major decision to move across the country out of the blue would not be a reasonable immediate response. Letting the loss impact you as you look back on good memories, grieve over the hard times which may not have been reconciled, and grasp the fact that they are no longer here on earth is a healthy initial response. As is letting God know that you are hurting, you may be angry at His timing, and are desperately needing His comfort at this time.
On the flip side, I can remember a time when I was so filled with joy at a promotion that I bought an expensive purse without a second thought. And realized after I could not return it that it was way too heavy for me to use with what I needed to use it for. It was completely okay to celebrate my good news, I just needed to take some time to let it soak in before I decided how to best celebrate it.
Some times the feeling you feel is quite unexpected and out of character for you. For example, as someone who is very hopeful, feeling hopeless about a situation or relationship is not my usual. So in instances like that, I need to dig deeper and investigate why that feeling showed up. It might be an unresolved issue needing healing, it might be an old record needing to be retired once again, or it could be a targeted attack to distract me from my task at hand.
You may notice that I have not written out all the verses below. That’s because not all of these feelings may be relevant to each of you, and if one is? You need to look up what the Word says about it in more detail. The best results always happen when we do the work with Him, and digest truth first hand!
FEELING VERSES to help you FEEL THOSE FEELS
Afraid, Fear John 6:6-21. Joshua 1:9
Anger Psalm 4:4, Ephesians 4:26, Proverbs 19:11, Ecclesiastes 7:9
Anxiety Philippians 4:6-7, 1 Peter 5:7, Matthew 6:25-34
Brokenhearted, Grief Revelation 21:4, Psalm 34:18, Psalm 147:3, Psalm 145:18-19
Burned out, Exhausted. Tired Matthew 11:28-30
Discouraged James 1:2-4, Joshua 1:9
Honest Matthew 6:6, Matthew 7:12
Hopeless Jeremiah 29:11-13
Joy Proverbs 17:22
Pain, Suffering Romans 5:3-5
Weak 2 Corinthians 12:9, Philippians 4:3
What verse has God highlighted for you at a time when you needed His insight as to what you were feeling?
#feelingthefeels #hopefortheharddays #hopeinHisPresence
KARLA LEES 