Feelings

Friday, October 16

I was talking to a friend recently about going to see the Vols play at Neyland Stadium. For me, Tennessee football is all about family tradition. I never watch the games at home. I go so I can spend time with my grandparents, who have attended home games for over 50 years. They've had the same seats on the 45 yard line longer than I've been alive. I've learned how to understand the game of football only because I've accompanied my grandparents to at least one home game every year since I was a kid. I mentioned to my friend how exciting it is to watch the team run through that "Power T". The fans are cheering. The "Pride of the Southland Marching Band is playing. You know that "Iiiiiittttttttt's football time in Tennessee!" It is hard not to be caught up in the moment.

It is in this moment, when the team is running onto the field, that I am so excited I almost get emotional. It's been happening now for several years-this feeling of excitement and emotion rolled into one. In fact, it's an all too familiar feeling. I remember feeling it in Thailand when we were watching a live show about Thai culture and history. Distinct Asian music was playing as actors and actresses wearing traditional Thai costumes danced traditional Thai dances. Live elephants walked onto the stage and reenacted a battle scene that signifies past battles recorded in Thai history. Traditional drums boomed to the music. It honestly gave me chills, and there it was again: that same excited, emotional feeling.

I also remember getting this feeling when my family went to Disney World for the first time almost ten years ago. We watched a show filled with fireworks, colored lights and action sequences. Once again, I got that emotional feeling.

Then it donned on me as I was talking to my friend about the Vols. I get this same feeling at Christian concerts and conferences when God’s people are lifting their hands in praise and worship to Him. Honestly, this thought scared me. I started to wonder, “If I get that feeling when I’m worshipping God AND when I am attending secular events, is it even real? Or is it some emotional high based on feelings alone?

Sunday, October 18

I intended to post the section above on Friday night, but I decided not to do so. Instead, I began to pray and ask God those questions with which I ended. God began to show me that as important as our feelings are (after all, He gave them to us!), they do not ultimately constitute what we are. My relationship with God is not based on feeling alone. My relationship with God is made up of the time I spend with Him in prayer, the time I spend reading His Word, and the time I spend growing with other believers. If we base our Christianity on feelings, then we’re missing the point entirely. A relationship with God is so much more than feelings. If James and I based our relationship on the romantic feelings we get from time to time, our relationship would not last very long. Those feelings are special, but they don’t last! It’s all about our commitment to each other “for better or for worse until death do us part”. This concept is not a new one, but for me, it’s a fresh lesson in faith. We must cultivate our relationship with God just as we cultivate our relationships with others. The feelings, no matter what causes them, are just an added bonus in our lives!