If someone were talking with you and they said that they had the secret to a happy life, would you at least be intrigued regarding what they are going to say? What if they said that the secret to a happy life is to always do what your feelings tell you to do? I would hope that you wouldn’t listen to them. We’ve all had experiences where our feelings have betrayed us. Yet, even though that’s been the experience for everyone, we still hear people saying things like, “Be true to yourself” or “Don’t deny your feelings.” We tend to think our true self is our feelings. But is that true? Aren’t we more than feelings?
We’ve all had experiences where our feelings have betrayed us. Yet, even though that’s been the experience for everyone, we still hear people saying things like, “Be true to yourself” or “Don’t deny your feelings.” We tend to think our true self is our feelings. But is that true? Aren’t we more than feelings? Of course, we are. We have a mind, a soul, and a body. And, for many who read this, we’re Christians, too. Therefore, to truly follow what’s best for us, we sometimes (or maybe even oftentimes) have to tell not only our mind but also our feelings and our souls, what to believe and embrace. When our soul is downcast or our feelings are moving in the wrong direction, the Bible doesn’t say we’re hypocrites for going against those things. Instead, we’re acting in line with our true identity in Christ to defy those feelings and to preach to our soul what to think!
I love Psalm 103 for this reason. When I’m discouraged. When I’m feeling like despairing. When I’m tempted to believe lies. Psalm 103 comes to my mind so often: Bless the LORD, O my soul. The psalmist is preaching to his soul, and that’s what we need to do daily. We need to align ourselves to reality. We need to tell ourselves who God is and also what he has blessed us with! We need to take time often to not forget all his benefits. As we rehearse these truths to our souls, we’re bolstered in our faith.
So, next time your mind, your soul, your feelings try to tell you that you’re miserable; take time to preach to yourself: Bless the LORD, oh my soul! This is living by faith. So, preach reality to yourself and rejoice in his goodness.