How Feelings Influence How we Use our Time June 9, 2010

I’ve been recently digesting a wonderful article from CCEF called Strong Emotions: Extreme Confidence. Author and Biblical Counselor Ed Welch packs some powerful principles into this short article.  His premise is, “When you feel something strongly, you are very confident in whatever that emotion says about you, other people and God.”

I’ve been seeking to apply his teaching in several areas of my life and time usage is one of them.  What do emotions and time have to do with each other?  Feelings.  I’m starting to see how much feelings affect how I use my time.

• Ugh…I know I planned to grocery shop today but I just don’t feel like doing it.  I’ll order pizza tonite and shop tomorrow.
• Yes, I told Benny I would take care of doing the pool chemicals for him but I really wanna catch up on some emails.
• Hmmm, I haven’t had a Chick Fila sandwich in awhile.  The budget is kinda tight right now I know, but I’ve been craving one for days!
• That bath tub really needs a good scrubbing but I really want to finish that book chapter.  It can wait.

Feelings — fed by emotions and desires — can be really strong. The Chick Fila example is a recent one for me.  It was almost like my car drove itself into the drive-thru!  “I really should get home” and “This isn’t a wise decision” didn’t keep me from giving in to my desire for a yummy chicken sandwich and some sweet tea.   What happened?  There was a part of me that felt I deserved lunch I didn’t have to prepare because of how much I deny myself things to serve my family. So I just did it.

I’m not suggesting that reading, delaying grocery shopping or splurging on your favorite fast food sandwich is necessarily wrong.  But when we consistently give in to our feelings rather than making wise decisions then we have a problem.  I’m beginning to see how right Mr. Welch is.  When I feel something strongly not much can keep me from doing what I want to do.

So today’s question is this:  What feelings, desires and emotions most affect how you use your time? Does feeling unappreciated tempt to you regularly procrastinate because no one really cares or notices your efforts anyway?  Does feeling distant from God keep you from spending devotional time with Him because your spiritual life is dry and meaningless?  Do you find yourself falling into a pattern of laziness at work or at home because you don’t feel your efforts mean much?

I have good news for you and me.  We don’t have to live and make decisions by our feelings!  Our emotions don’t have to govern our decisions!  Because of the work Christ did on the cross, freeing us from the bondage of sin that once obligated us to obey ourselves (including our feelings and emotions), we can change.  With His empowering help we can learn to say no to what we feel when those feelings conflict with His gracious demand to “esteem others as more important than ourselves” (Phil 2: what a chapter!).

Ok, I don’t want to get up.  I’m propped up on by bed writing this post.  But Benny asked me to run an errand for him and because I don’t want to be a hypocrite I’m going to happily go take care of this for him.  At moments like this (and we all have these moments regularly!) we can rejoice in knowing God isn’t just pleased by the big, heroic things we do.  He’s also pleased when we run an errand when we don’t “feel” like it.

Posted by Sheree