Your faith is based on more than just feelings…it is about connecting with the living God.  When we pursue faith based on feelings often times the good feelings go away after something changes for us; so typically we will quit or stop pursuing it because it doesn’t feel good anymore.

When you seek to connect and engage with the presence of God in your life and you continue to grow your faith in that way…you won’t stop when things don’t feel good in life.  In fact you will find yourself seeking your relationship with God in more ways and at more times than you ever have before.  I have found that growth in faith is strongest when I pursue something that makes me a little uncomfortable or is slightly outside of my comfort zone.  It takes courage and a willingness to open yourself up and trust that God who is right by your side will be with you no matter what happens.

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be people of courage; be strong.  Do everything in love.”

                                                                                                1 Corinthians 16:13-14

I have also learned that to grow in faith it is important to connect with community.  Your community could be a few people that you gather with for a meal on a regular basis or it could be large gathering at worship service.   Maybe your community is in your neighborhood…the important thing is to find your communities of people that can help provide an environment that nurtures faith and walks the journey of faith in life with you.  Jesus said…

“For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

                                                                                                Matthew 18:20

Your feelings are an important part of who you are, they are just not the only thing involved in developing your faith and relationship with God.  As I have said before we were never promised that life would be easy or free from pain.  Pain and suffering is present in the world because of sin and sin is present because we were promised free will.  In the end your faith and life come back to that…free will.  We have a God that loves us and wants to have a relationship with us…we just have to choose to pursue that relationship on a daily basis…using more than just our feelings.

May God’s peace be with you.