Fifty-two years of wedded bliss!  Gaylon and I celebrated fifty-two years of marriage in June of this year.  Soon it will be fifty-two and a half years.  We have been blessed in so many ways, and I would marry him again if presented with the opportunity. 

One thing I can say, without hesitation, is that we did not get to this point by listening to our feelings.  Oh, like most couples, when we got married, we just knew it would be sweet every moment. That simply is not reality.  Feelings have certainly popped up in our marriage – some good, some not so good.  We had to learn not to let feelings control reality.

We live in an hour where feelings are the new reality, or so we are told.  If you feel something, then that is your reality.  I recently read a true story of a man who felt he was a dog, therefore he paid thousands to have a dog suit crafted with real fur.  The man slips into the dog suit, gets down on all fours and walks around his apartment, drinking and eating from dog bowls, and doing all things dog.  He “feels” more natural as a dog.

Feelings are the new reality.  If you feel like a boy, then that is your reality.  If you feel like a girl, then that is your reality. If you feel like a cat, then that is your reality.

As we walk with God, it is essential to be led by the Spirit and the Word, not by feelings.  Sometimes I can go to bed with a joyful song of praise on my lips and wake up feeling demon possessed!  Know what I mean?   Feelings ebb and flow in our lives and in our spiritual journeys.  As I have heard others say, “We can have feelings, but we cannot allow feelings to have us.” 

We are people of God, led by His Spirit, and changed by His Word.  We find ourselves living in a time where feelings could easily dictate our stance on what to believe. 

According to Second Corinthians five and verse seven, we are called to not live by our feelings but by faith. We live by faith in God, the unchanging, perfect, eternal, sovereign One.  This faith is founded on the infallible, life-giving, authoritative Word of God. Scripture tells us how to live and what to believe. This is what should govern and determine how we speak, think, and act—not our ever-changing, easily-influenced feelings. How we live must be guided by God’s unchanging Word.

In the end, it is God and His Word that should inform our feelings, not the other way around. When you are tempted to listen to your feelings or your feelings are overwhelming, stop and look to God’s Word. Compare what you are feeling to what He says.  Live by that, not your feelings!

“There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps.” – Proverbs 14:12,15