Friday, April 3, 2009

Warm, Fuzzy Feelings Vs. Holy Habits

Here's an excerpt from the book I'm reading, The Legacy of Biblical Womanhood by Susan Hunt & Barbara Thompson. This section is in Q & A format.

Q (younger woman) - "I long for the intimacy with God that I hear other women discuss. But most of the time I feel as though God is far away from my real life."

A (author) - "It is important to distinguish between warm, fuzzy feelings and the intimacy of holy habits. In our culture many women are "experience junkies" and depend on new levels of excitement as substitutes for intimacy. The intimacy of the Father-daughter relationship is nurtured by the holy habits of prayer, Bible study, private and corporate worship, obedience, communion with the saints, and thanking Him in all things. These habits are not superficial seven-minute moments with God on our timetable. They are life-dominating, mind-renewing, transforming disciplines of God's grace. God uses the fruit of these habits to sustain us through emotional upheaval and circumstantial chaos." (p. 104)

2 comments:

Tricia Keierleber said...

I agree. I feel many people define talking with God, becoming saved, etc... as big emotional moments... but I disagree. The warm fuzzies are a product of spending time with Him, not the other way around. :)

Anonymous said...

Caryn, I love this post. In our excitement driven culture, we are so used to the "feeling" of the next moment, and we bring that right into our relationship with the Lord. But, oh, the best kind of joy...lasting...is in the deeper, longer, richer constancy of a life striving to grow deeper in love with the King! And, as I'm learning again, trials bring out only what is deep and lasting. Anything shallow is blown away in a moment. Thanks. Erica