Your Feelings Are Real, But They Are Not Always Truth

Do you know how sometimes you know something is not good for you — but you keep doing it anyway?

You know the endless scrolling on Instagram is wasting your brain cells, your time, and putting you into comparison… yet your phone is glued to your hand.

You know the drinking, the wine whatever it is; is putting your body out of whack, yet you still go for it anyway.

You know the complaining, the gossip, the need to share everything is causing trouble in your relationships… yet you can’t fight the urge to spew the resentment.

Why is it that we do this to ourselves?

In a world that teaches us to trust our feelings, follow our feelings and look into our feelings as the answer, I have to say, I think we have been misguided.

Now, I am a person who values feelings. I value how my kids feel, for instance. I do not simply shrug off their tears or anger. I acknowledge it.

But there is a key difference: I do not let them stay in that space for long.

After I give time to hug them, take the time to be present with them, to hear them, I often say:

“Okay, now it is time to move past it.”

“Let’s focus on this.”

“This now needs tending to.”

There is an aspect of our culture that is obsessed with feelings. Obsessed with allowing others to be heard. Obsessed with making sure everyone knows how we feel.

But God explicitly tells us something different.

Do not trust your feelings.

Because your feelings will not always be truth.

Your feelings will lie to you.

Think about it.

One moment you feel:
“This is a really great friendship. A great relationship. I’m in the honeymoon phase.”

Then months, years, or even moments later:
“I can’t believe this. I feel wronged. This is the worst relationship.”

Our feelings change constantly, like the tides, like the wind. Nothing ever stays the same.

So we cannot devote our entire lives to our feelings. Because one moment the feeling is here, and the next it is gone.

But there is someone you can trust.

Someone you can listen to.

God.

And sometimes God will share with you that something in your life is finished.

Maybe it is a friendship.
Maybe it is a job.
Maybe it is a way of interacting or posting on Instagram.
Maybe it is a community you have been part of for years.

Sometimes the time has simply come to an end.

Naturally, our feelings rise up.

Fear.

Inadequacy.

Uncertainty.

We have a tendency to fight against the unknown and resist the new.

But often, this is exactly what God is using to build full trust in Him.

To say:

“This makes no logical sense. I don’t feel ready to do this.”

“But I know I am being asked to do it.”

That kind of trust, the kind that doesn’t rely on feelings or logic alone — is what brings true faith.

Because we live in an age of self-sufficiency.

Once I make this amount of money, I will be happy and safe.
Once I land this role, I will be happy and safe.
Once I have that friend, I will be happy and safe.

But if you take a real life assessment, you will see something interesting.

You have felt that way many times before.

You have been on the other side of the dream job, only to realize maybe it was not the dream after all.

You have had the relationship and realized… this actually isn’t for me.

So what is the issue?

The issue is that we often got there through self-visualization alone.

We relied so heavily on ourselves to make it happen — to envision the right thing, to say the right words, to push and force and control that we edged God right out of it.

We edged the Creator of the world of the entire universe right out of a decision that feels enormous to us, but to God is smaller than an ant on an anthill.

That is not to discredit your trials and tribulations. They are real, and God knows it.

But it is to say this:

Making decisions based solely on your own facts and feelings is probably not the best approach.

So how do you actually build a relationship with God?

This is something we lean into every day of our lives, and over the years it may look different for each of us.

But you can start today with these steps.

1. Make the time.

If you do not make the time, you will never have it.

Just like your marriage, friendships, or a passion or hobby — if you do not intentionally create time for it, it will not exist.

God is the foremost relationship in your life.

He wants you to sit with Him.

Maybe it is a few minutes in the morning.
Maybe a few minutes at night.
Maybe it is a quick note in your journal.

Whatever it is…sit with Him.

2. See God in the people you encounter.

See God in the person who irritates you.

See God in the person who exudes joy.

See God in children, especially children.

Take a moment to look beyond the surface and recognize God in all of His creation.

3. Pray.

Pray.

I have listened to many near-death experiences, and I am always fascinated by the stories of people who say they left their bodies and encountered the Creator.

Each story is different, but they often share similar themes.

One thing I have heard time and time again is about the power of prayer.

Some people describe seeing the prayers that loved ones were praying for them — moving quickly all around them, rushing back to the Creator.

Prayer is powerful.

God hears your prayers.

And God cares about what you pray.

In this earthly life, we have needs things we want, things we think we need, things we actually require to survive.

It is okay to pray for those things.

But before you ask God for something for yourself, try this:

Pray for the people in your life.

Pray for the ones who are sick and in need of healing.
Pray for those who are struggling.
Pray for those who have wronged you.

True forgiveness is a gift that God always blesses.

Prayer helps move you out of your own feelings and closer to the way God intended you to live.

4. Surround yourself with people who are pursuing God.

They may pursue Him in ways that look different from your own journey — and that is good.

It helps you expand, learn, and reflect.

All people are children of God, so this is not about avoiding those who are not on the same path.

But it is important to have a home base.

A person or people you can lean on.

People who share their testimonies of how God has worked in their lives.

People whose faith strengthens your own.

So that when you step into the world, you are that much more grounded in truth.

Grounded in faith.

Grounded in God’s love.

Know that you are important and that how you feel is important, it does matter.

But we must also keep in perspective that our feelings are not always truth. They are not always facts.

God, however, is someone you can always rely on.

He is the one who will give you truth. The one who hears your prayers and answers them even if the answer is:

“Not right now.”
“In due time.”
Or sometimes, simply, “No.”

That can feel so hard.

But we have to rise above our immediate feelings and our limited view of life in order to understand what God has planned for us and what He already knows.

Still, never give up praying.

And never give up showing up for yourself, for your friends, for your family and even for the stranger.

Remember this:

God loves you.

And so do I.

If you feel like you are in a season where God is asking something of you — but you’re not fully sure what that is yet — you don’t have to walk through it alone.

Join me for a Faith & Clarity session, where we create space to pray, reflect, and seek the direction God may be revealing in your life.

Love & Prayers,

Alexa