Feelings

In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. ~ 1Samuel 3:1

The scripture says, "in those days." Some days, "those days" feel like these days. Have you ever noticed that some days your relationship with the Lord seems dry? Even though just a couple days ago you were on fire, today it seems like hard work to motivate yourself to even get in the Word or spend time in prayer. Why is that? Part of it is because our culture has shaped us to be motivated based up on "feelings." If we "feel" like doing something, we can be motivated to work out, eat right, etc., etc. But when we don't, we won't. Any kind of relationship worth having can't be done that way. So what should we do? 1) Be intentional. Make spending time with God and with family a priority. If you don't, other calendar items will quickly crowd out your calendar. 2) Be open. God appeared to Moses in a burning bush. He appeared to Elijah in a still small voice. He will make Himself known to you in a way that is unique to you. But you need to be open and you can begin by spending the time. 3) Be determined. The funny thing about feelings is that they can be influenced so easily. On a rainy day, one person will want to sleep in and the next person will want to go play in the rain. On a hot day, one person will shut themselves inside and the next will enjoy it like there's no tomorrow. After a long and frustrating day, one person will sulk and want to shut out the world and the next will burn off the frustration through exercise and have the best evening ever. Feelings are feelings and they can't be used as a measuring stick of how much time and energy we're willing to invest into our relationships. Anything worth having is worth working for, especially in the are of our relationships. So make the commitment that today you're going to press in and press on, no matter what your feelings are telling you.