Holding On To Your Faith Despite Your Emotions

Faith... is the art of holding on to things your reason once accepted, despite your changing moods." C.S. Lewis


The thing that challenges our faith the most is not reasoned arguments against faith.  Rather, it is our emotions and our heart.  We struggle with our faith when we are disappointed or hurt or grieved.  Faith is continuing to believe, despite what our emotions are telling us.  My most popular blog on my other site deals with this exact topic:  http://timthurmansblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/on-disappointment-and-faith-hebrews-111.html.  I think you will be glad if you read that post.


Faith is extremely rational.  Yes, Kierkegaard talks about needing to take a leap of faith when becoming a Christian. It is true, that one must take that leap of faith, but it is a very calculated risk.  It is the risk between jumping from a sinking Titanic to a lifeboat.  Not a sure thing, but it makes the most sense.  And, even we when do have faith, we will not always understand everything.  But faith makes the most sense out of everything.


No, where we get into trouble is when we listen to our hearts.  Jeremiah says that the heart is deceitfully wicked and sick (Jeremiah 17:9).  Our heart and emotions are what generally get us in trouble, cause us to start doubting what we know to be true.  As we are disappointed or hurt, we begin to doubt God's love for us.  As we become anxious and worried, we begin to doubt God's faithfulness, or the promises in His word.  No, emotions cannot be trusted.  On the other hand, it is not that we should bury our emotions and ignore them.  We should never bury them, but we also should not listen to them.  

When we are disappointed, or angry, or hurt, or anxious, we cannot rely on our moods, but must constantly remind our heart what we know in our head to be true.