I don’t understand myself.  I bet you don’t understand you either.

I simply can’t explain why some days I wake up feeling vivacious and enthusiastic about life. While on others, I feel slightly irritable, lethargic, and apathetic about my responsibilities. This happens more often than I care to admit and seems to occur without rhyme or reason. After 40+ years, this phenomenon still baffles me.

But  this is not the place to discuss the complex physical or psychological aspects of moodiness.

The question I’m wrestling with is: How do we follow Jesus on days when we don’t feel like ourselves?

The bottom line is that we’re called to follow Jesus every day, no matter how we feel. When it comes to following Jesus, there are no days off.  

But when I have an “off-day” and don’t feel like my usual self, 2^nd Corinthians 5:7 acts as the anchor in my soul, preventing me from being tossed to the extremes on the waves of emotion. Paul’s words are a powerful reminder that I am to live by faith, not by what I see or by what I feel.  

Biblically speaking, living by faith means I place all of my trust in who the Lord is and what He’s done on my behalf through Jesus Christ.  Faith’s unseen reality should be as real to me, if not more, than anything in this physical world, including my shifting moods.

Occasional moodiness is an inescapable reality of living in a fallen, temporary “tent” of a body (2 Corinthians 5:1). Examining the surrounding context, Paul acknowledges how his physical body “groans” and longs to be clothed in his perfect, resurrected body (vs. 4). How awesome it will be to one day dwell in a body that isn’t tainted by sin, sickness, unstable emotions, or a thousand other ailments that plague us. 

Can’t you relate to Paul’s yearning?  

Living by faith doesn’t mean that I pretend to be an emotionless robot.  It means that my faith in Jesus, not how I feel at a given moment,  should have the final word over my outlook, attitude, and actions. 

As a Jesus-follower, I have a choice on what is going to be in charge of my day: my faith or my feelings.  

I’m faced with this decision numerous times every day, but especially on days when I’m struggling and can’t pinpoint why.  

I have no idea of how you are feeling today. Psychologists tell us that there are approximately 34,000 emotions, so take your pick!  

Ask yourself: Do I want my feelings to govern my faith? Or do I want my faith to govern my feelings? 

Make the intentional choice to place your faith in Jesus, putting Him into the driver’s seat of your life. 

While your emotions might be along for the ride, they don’t have to control the steering wheel.  

Written by Jonathan Munson, Executive Director, RFTH