One of my mentors (Elaine McGrath) once said “Feelings are good because they locate you but you don’t have to stay where your feelings tell you you are”.
This remark has become so much a part of me now, I have found it invaluable. Years ago I had an idea of turning the concept into a kind of children’s board ‘game’/teaching resource… with a map and coordinates to better feelings and how to get there. Every time I applied myself to thinking how it could be done, it became too complicated so it never did eventuate. I’m glad it hasn’t in a way as I’d do it so differently now to when I first thought about it.
Feelings can be an accurate reflection of truth. Such as grief after a death. The depth of grief being a reflection of the love. Completely the ‘right’ emotion.
Feelings can tell us lies. Such as worthlessness and self loathing. These feelings tell us we are in one place while the truth would show us another. One of the hardest things to do is to lift oneself out of these feelings and return to truth. One of the scariest things I know of is the action people can take based on the feelings that have lied to them. Sometimes revealing the lie is easy (such as recalling you have PMS and are not to be trusted!), but sometimes seemingly impossible.
Sometimes feelings tell us everything is alright, when really they are not but our quest to feel only the good perpetuates the deception.
We all live lives somewhat at the mercy of our feelings… am still in the process of taking a step ‘outside’ myself and learning to think more, react less. Learning.
I’m LEARNING!
Thankyou God for allowing me to meet Elaine.
“Feelings are good because they locate you but you don’t have to stay where your feelings tell you you are”.
