I'm not feeling very spiritual today. I know, right? How can that be? I mean, as a pastor, shouldn't I be overflowing with peace and holiness at all times? Well, that would be nice, but nope, it ain't even close to true. I've got a cold and I slept terribly last night so it's affecting my mood. I'm grumpy and it's making me feel critical about myself and that is making me feel depressed. Kinda a vicious cycle. I think I may go back to bed.
Now, I'm not whining here to get attention or sympathy. No, I want to share some insight on a very common experience. We all have seasons where our emotions tend to suggest that we are far from God. We get depressed, apathetic, cynical, morose, or melancholy and we think that those negative emotions imply that God has taken a hike and left us alone. That feeling of being unable to connect with God is a terrible one and typically exacerbates those feelings that caused us to struggle in the first place.
The problem is, our emotions tend to be all over. Most of us wouldn't know emotional consistency is it bit us on the butt. Let's be honest, changes in the weather affect our mood. I would suggest that makes what we feel suspect. We can't always trust what our emotions tell us.
The good news is, that while we may be all over the place, Jesus is constant. Hebrews 13:8 tells us that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. That means that even though we have emotional fluctuations stemming from high gas prices, relationship struggles, the barometer, and even the common cold, Jesus is rock steady, consistently offering His grace, understanding, forgiveness, patience, and peace.
So maybe I have the blues, maybe this cold is kicking my bottom, that doesn't mean that I am disconnected from the One that loves me best. That is incredibly reassuring to me. Hopefully to you as well. Now for that bed...
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