Remember that old song “Feelings…nothing more than feelings.” I hated that song. But while it was sappy and reeked of the 70s, there’s a great lesson to be learned from it.
Feelings are fleeting. They come and go faster than the flavor of Fruit Stripe gum. Any couple will tell you the butterflies they felt the first time they held hands doesn’t last forever. Nobody eats on the first date because they’re excited and nervous, but by the third or fourth date it’s like “could you bring us some extra napkins?” And this might continue for as long as you both shall live.
Lasting relationships naturally progress toward comfort and security and don’t need constant excitement to deepen. It’s the same with our Lord. The spiritual life is not meant to be a perpetual, emotional high.
Don’t worry if you’re not constantly feelin’ it in your relationship with God. He knows you’re human. He made you that way. In fact, the more mature you grow in the faith, the more you’ll realize that love of God is “more than a feeling,”…a better 70s song.
If you’ve got some “tips” that might help people pray when they’re just not feelin’ it, by all means share them in the comments. God bless!
