Ashley Sandwich

I was surprised Ashley agreed to the proposition of going for a four wheeler ride last weekend. I was shocked when she agreed to allow Libby to come with us. It's not that my wife is afraid of four wheelers or dislikes dogs, but she is 8 months pregnant, and we were headed for an extremely bumpy country road.

My wife likes adventure--as long as she still feels pretty in the midst of it. I have learned that she has a subconscious scale that connects how much she enjoys a particular activity to how pretty she feels while participating. True story.

Don't get me wrong, Ashley is a tough gal. A few years ago, she finished the Las Vegas marathon while running on an injured hip. She left me in the dust last summer when we were riding the 62 mile Elephant Rock Bicycle Tour "together". A few months later, she completed the Copper Triangle--an 80 mile bike ride that covered three mountain passes deep in the Rocky Mountains. She's tough--and competitive--and lucky. She also happened to beat me in our last two games of put-put golf.

When Ashley saddled up on the four wheeler, sandwiched between a hairy dog and myself, I couldn't help but be incredibly attracted to her. I always think she's pretty, but the "hottness meter" peaks when she does something like this. These are usually the times when she feels the least attractive. In this case, I couldn't stop looking at her, and she barely let me take a picture because she FELT gross. This is a small example of how our feelings can be deceptive.

How often are we all deceived by our feelings? It may be something as simple as not feeling attractive, or it may be something as serious as not feeling worthy of a relationship with God. Many people don't feel forgiven; nor do they feel like forgiving others. It's easy to not feel like engaging your family in meaningful conversation. Perhaps you didn't feel like apologizing last time you really blew it. The sweat that turned to blood as it dripped down his face while he agonized in the garden shows us that Jesus didn't feel like going to the cross. Out of obedience, he submitted and carried on with the greatest rescue mission in the history of time.

Not only are feelings deceptive, but if we pay enough attention to them, they will eventually create a frustrating rut in our lives. Too often, we create behavior patterns that are centered around feelings instead of the unchanging truth of the Scriptures. If you are lacking love, joy, and peace, there is a good chance you may fall into this category.

Feelings come and go. Feelings change. The word of God is designed to be an anchor for our soul. The Scriptures don't contain suggestions; they are full of commands that should impact our daily decisions. The more we dive into His word, the more it will change our thinking. The more our thinking changes, the more our feelings will change. We have to start by believing what the Bible says and acting upon it whether we feel like it or not. This will stretch and grow us all. It's certainly not easy; but it is worth it. The more we do this, the more the frustrating rut will disappear and love, joy, and peace will appear. I think that's a trade worth making.