Valentine's Day, the Super Bowl, and Your Feelings

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At one point in last night's Super Bowl game (sometimes lovingly referred to as the "stupid bowl" in our household ...), there was a touchdown "scored," but it was "recalled" shortly after the fact, due to a penalty on the play. 

*this was the one and only play I actually watched after working a 12-hr shift at the hospital*

The football players believed they had scored, and so naturally, they celebrated. However, their celebration didn't reflect the truth of the play. The reality of the situation was that they needed to replay the down - the touchdown was invalid. 

I've had quite a few moments in my life where I thought something was true, and my feelings reflected that thing I thought to be true. However, I was wrong in many of these instances, and therefore, my feelings were also wrong. So, here's a  bold reminder for your day: If you are believing a lie, your feelings are fake.

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"If your beliefs don't reflect truth, your feelings don't reflect reality." - Niel T. Anderson

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I've thought a lot this past week about anxiousness - being anxious about work, anxious about the future, and anxious about things that really, I have no need to be anxious about. Can you relate?

One day in particular, I started my day being almost incapacitated by the fear of simply seeing a patient at work. Telling myself that I wasn't a "good enough" or "skilled enough" nurse, I momentarily let anxiousness overtake my willingness to learn and my ability to take things one at a time.

I paused.

I asked myself what I was believing. And, lo and behold, it wasn't the truth. Oops.

This patient wasn't too much for me to handle. I was capable. I had no need to be anxious. My feelings were NOT reflecting the truth. The truth is that God gives strength as you need it, not necessarily before you need it. 

So, I changed my outlook, and the rest of my day was really quite good. I decided to believe the truth - that in Christ, I can do all things, because He will give me the strength I need (Philippians 4:13). I can tell you one thing for certain: being anxious doesn't make anything better. 

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"And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?" - Luke 12:25-26

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We live in a world plagued by the labels anxiety and depression. While sometimes these issues are caused by chemical imbalances in the brain and body, and I will not discredit the reality/heaviness of these diagnoses, I want to remind you today that you CHOOSE whether or not you're going to believe the truth or believe a lie. Satan is the father of lies, and if he can get you to believe a lie, he can make your feelings fake. Yikes. Don't let him do that. Jesus is the TRUTH, so you need to let Him take over. 

Cast your anxieties on Jesus, because HE cares for YOU.

On this Valentine's day, you need to know that you are LOVED. Endlessly. Beautifully. Redemptively. 

Whether you're dating, single, engaged, married, or in any other "stage" of life, remember that being anxious won't let you move forward. Let go. And, in letting go, you'll find that God is holding you even tighter than you thought. If your feelings are fake because you're believing a lie, get rid of them. 

Hold onto the truth, and let your feelings reflect the reality that God loves you more than you even know. 

I hope you live today with a happy heart. After all, it's happy heart day, friends!



#spreadtheword



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