(Not an exhaustive list)
Realize that not every feeling comes from God
The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9
Some feelings, even supposedly good feelings, may not be based on reality. Just because you feel something strongly, does not actually make it true. What about the diabetic who feels like a brownie is a good idea? What about a mother who has lost a child and feels as if it must be her fault? What about the depressed person who feels like life is not worth living anymore? Our feelings do not dictate reality! The Lord (and his truth) do!
Regularly bring your feelings to the Lord
Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah Psalms 62:8
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6
This is far more productive than airing your feelings with just anyone who happened to stand nearby!
Pray for wisdom
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him James 1:5
Pray for wisdom in general but also in dealing with your feelings. Surely the Lord who made you, who knows all things, and who loves you deeply will help you!
Learn to submit to God
And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39
We want to make sure that we are submitting to God and His will, as opposed to being controlled (or overwhelmed) by our feelings.
Be still before God.
“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalms 46:10
Remind yourself who is actually in control of the universe!
Give yourself grace to cry.
You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book? Psalms 56:8
Sometimes the tears help cleanse the wound.
Talk to a trusted, Christian friend
Oil and perfume make the heart glad,
and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel. Proverbs 27:9
Sometimes an outside perspective helps orient your own view.
Continue to praise God.
And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” Job 1:21
Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
19 GOD, the Lord, is my strength; Habakkuk 3:17-19
Even in great distress and tragedy, heroes of faith still worshipped. Worship realigns us, helping us see what (and who) is truly important. And it gives us access to God, who is the only one who can help our hearts!
Choose your attitude
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10
Accept your weakness in order to receive his strength.
Photo by Ivan Aleksic on Unsplash
