Feelings Are a Tool

John 11:33-36 "When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”

What is the purpose of feelings?

John 11:33-36 "When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” We see in John 11:33-36, Jesus expressed anger and sadness. This was when Lazarus had died. Jesus was told to come quickly, but Jesus, some might say, was slow. Jesus knew what was going to happen, He knew Lazarus was going to die if He didn’t rush to heal him. But He allowed him to pass. Yet, we see Jesus angry from the news of hearing his friend’s death and filled with sadness. We all know the short, well-known verse, “Jesus wept”. Jesus would have had to feel an emotion in order for him to weep. Not cry, but weep. I love this because I am always hard on myself for feeling so deeply, but even Jesus felt. The only difference is, Jesus never allowed feelings to lead him into sin. He actually just never allowed them to lead Him, period.  He never reacted from a place of emotion, but instead He operated from a place of emotion. If Jesus didn't feel that emotion, he would not have been moved to go help his friend. Jesus shows us that all humans feel emotions, including Him. If Jesus Himself felt them, then they cannot be a bad thing, as Jesus never sinned.

Feelings are a tool to help us measure where we are. If you feel tired, then you know it is time to rest. If you feel angry, then something happened that bothered you on a deeper level. Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend stated in their book, Boundaries, “Fear tells us to move away from danger, to be careful. Sadness tells us that we’ve lost something - a relationship, an opportunity, or an idea. Anger is also a signal. Like fear, anger signals danger. However, rather than urging us to withdraw, anger is a sign that we need to move forward to confront the threat.” Feelings are like signals in our minds or hearts, just as cars have sensors that tell us when we need to check our engine, oil, or tires. Even though feelings exist, they certainly cannot be trusted because they are fleeting. Our feelings are a tool, but they are not a tool to be used for every situation. Our feelings can be useful in certain situations, but it is not meant to fit all circumstances.

Compassion is a feeling used to express to a hurting friend that you notice their pain and you care deeply about them. But you would not want to use compassion when someone is intentionally trying to harm you. Sadness is an expression that tells you or someone that your heart is troubled. Sadness is not a good tool when your friend shares that they received a promotion. Frustration tells you something is not going as planned, but it is not a good tool when your child is asking you to read them a bedtime story. Emotions are not a bad thing, friends. However, how we respond to our emotions is what causes our pitfalls. Most of the emotions we feel should motivate us to pray, that is a good use of this tool.

God’s Word and the Holy Spirit are great tools, the right tools. We cannot always trust or be led by our feelings, but we can always trust and be led by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Now, any time I have intense or negative feelings, I don’t act on anything. I don’t make any big decisions at that time until my emotions are level and stable. Absolutely take all your feelings to Jesus and lay it at His feet, but leave them there. God is not asking us to not feel at all. Feelings come from Him, but what He is asking is to bring them directly to Him. Let's not make decisions based purely on our feelings reacting by how we feel. Instead, let's allow God to help us to operate from a place of emotion.