I’ve pretty much decided that sometimes I need to “fake it ’til I feel it.”When I first started seriously learning classical piano in college, I had to practice several hours every day. Sometimes I was excited to work on the music – other times I looked for ways out of it. On those days where I didn’t feel like practicing I learned that I had to just fake it – I had to tell myself, “Adam, you want to practice.” Once I got practicing, I began to feel like it again. But I had to fake it before I felt it.
Can we translate that into our spiritual lives? Can we fake our Christianity? I say, “absolutely!” — I frequently fake my Christianity (Don’t freak out just yet – let me explain myself!)
You see, our faith doesn’t come from our feelings. Our faith comes from obedience. My obedience cannot be the result of my feelings. So, I’ll fake it.
Right now I really don’t want to go read my Bible. I have no desire to pray or seek God. I just don’t want to.
But I’m going to go fake it ’til I feel it. I’m sure that if I am just obedient and chase after God even when I don’t feel like it, the feelings will follow. I’ll feel like it after I get going. But to get going, I’ll fake it.
This post was inspired by a blog by Steven Furtick.Â
I’ve done the same thing. I do the daily devotional journal deal and there are some nights when I’m so tired I just want to crash and not even think about my daily reading or even journaling at all. But, after faking feeling like I want to, my hand just writes away and I’m often wanting to read more into the Bible than the day’s requirement.
Thank you for sharing that, Adam! (and Logan) It is encouraging to remember that I’m not the only one that feels that way sometimes! I think this goes for times of worship, (private and corporate) too. The Word speaks of offering a SACRIFICE of praise to God. A sacrifice isn’t generally something that we feel like doing, but when we are obedient to offer our worship, our time, our effort, our prayer, our {whatever} to the Lord when we don’t feel like it, He is faithful to meet us and bless us with His presence!
This is true about just about every aspect in our lives at one time or another, if we are honest. It’s just not in our nature to do the right thing all the time. If it was we would never have to put the flesh to death, as Paul says. I have a great quote I have been meditating on for some time, and it is from Joyce Meyer-“if you will just obey God, your feelings with follow.”