Guard your heart
Why it's important for Christians to not rely on feelings.
The Bible says that we should guard our heart, for it determines the course of our lives (Proverbs 4:3). And it’s true – we should always protect our hearts and ensure that God is ruling us, not our feelings. Once, I told myself, “Just this time, I’ll let my heart make the decision. Just this time, for my own happiness’ sake, I’ll make myself the boss of my own heart.”
I met this guy and I thought I was in love. The butterflies in my stomach felt so great, and I felt so complete, to be loved by someone. I thought I fell in love, for the first time, so I assumed that it was God’s will. But really, I made my own will “God’s will”. I placed my heart in my hands.
So what was wrong? The boy I liked was not rude, he was a gentleman. He was a Christian, he led people to God, he served in the church consistently, he was perfect in my eyes.
But when I was a kid, I swore to God that I’d love and serve Him for the rest of my life, and I broke that promise. I placed someone on His throne. I placed this guy. And I placed myself.
Don’t trust your feelings
I regret that I depended on what felt good to guide my actions. I even expected the relationship to fail, but I told God that “I will accept the pain in the future, because I’m feeling happy now.” But I was unable to cope with the pain alone when it came. The God that I left behind was also the only one who was able to revive me.
The feelings of my heart failed me once, and I’m not open for a repeat. So, I guard it, I don’t depend on it anymore. I place it at God’s feet.
Feelings make you fall, love will raise you up. Feelings will push us to rush things, and cause destruction. Love teaches us to be patient, and wait for God’s timing. Feelings come from the hypothalamus, a small part of the brain. Love comes from the Spirit of God.
What caused me pain, when the relationship ended, was not that I failed, and I was hurt, but that even though I thought I loved God so much, I was able to trade Him for someone else. Now that He has already mended me, I, again, have sworn to be His servant. And this time, I won’t let the fleeting feelings of my heart enslave me again. For the feelings this world offers are nothing compared to His love.
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