Its Not About Feelings

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day and that you are having an awesome week!

Wow!! What an incredibly exciting, incredibly busy and yes, incredibly tiring the past two weeks have been. We have been exposed to the full range of emotions associated with seeing our oldest graduate high school, our middle graduate to high school, our youngest celebrate his 9th birthday, spending quality time with family and friends - some whom we had not seen in quite a while - and oh yeah, dealing with the twists, turns, struggles & decisions that make up life. It has left me feeling...I can't come up with a good word to describe it. What is the word to describe happiness & sadness, joy & sorrow, fatigue & feeling incredibly alive, etc? Ever feel that way?

Joyce Meyer has written a great deal about not letting your feelings control you. Feelings are such a funny, fickle thing. The thoughts we have, the words we speak, the things we listen to, the things that happen to us...they all affect how we feel from moment to moment. If we are going to live by our feelings, what do we do when we don't "feel it?" When you didn't get enough sleep and you wake up tired? When someone says something and hurts your feelings? When, despite your best efforts, things just aren't going your way (we ALL have those days!)? What then?

I want to share two very simple thoughts with you on this beautiful Friday morning.

1. Let me first share a couple of definitions with you...I think they are interesting.
     Feeling - an emotional state or reaction
     Emotion - a natural instinctive state of mind deriving from one's circumstances, mood
                        or relationship with others

     Now, first of all catch this - a natural instinctive state. We all have feelings/emotions. We
     all feel happy sometimes and sad others. We all have moments of great excitement and
     moments when we feel hesitant, perhaps scared. So know this Friend, you are normal.
     Don't beat yourself up over the feelings you have, the emotions you experience, just don't
     let them control you.

     And that is the point I really want to get to...being intentional. Not letting our feelings
     dictate our thoughts and actions which then limits their impact in our lives. You and I can
     intentionally choose to walk by faith - to believe great things are happening in our lives -
     instead of by fear...regardless of how we feel (thoughts). You and I can intentionally
     choose to read, watch and listen to things that strength, build up & empower
     us...regardless of how we feel (actions). The key is to be intentional, to determine in our
     hearts & minds to do these things...regardless of how we feel. Eventually our thoughts &
     actions will control our feelings instead of letting our feelings control us. Does this mean
     you will never wake up feeling sad, depressed, etc.? No, it simply means that you know,
     that you have determined, how you are going to think and act regardless of how you feel.

2. The second point might be a sign that I am maturing and this scares me! :) As a husband,
     Dad, son, brother, friend, leader I have become very aware of the influence, the impact
     my words & actions have on others lives. I recognize that I need to be careful not to let my
     feelings at the moment dictate the words I speak to others, the things I do to or for them.
     The way I say it to myself is to not let my worries, stresses, fears dictate my relationship
     with them. Because I feel sad doesn't mean everyone else should feel sad or that I should
     say or do things that make them sad. My battles are my battles and each person that I
     have the privilege of interacting with every day is in fact fighting their own battles. I can
     choose to be an intentional, positive influence in their lives regardless of how I feel at the
     moment or I can be led by my feelings from day to day. The choice I make, that you make,
     has incredible consequences. Please think about it. Regardless of how you feel, what kind
     of run you are on, what challenges you face...there are a whole lot of people who need
     YOU, not your feelings at the moment.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always be willing to help you any way I can.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.

Kev