Head, Heart, or Gut?

I'd like to share something that I've been trying to process for some time now. I am still in the process of figuring all this out and this blog is a means of doing that. Basically, the question is: should I think with my head, my heart, or my gut? Now of course it is not a simple question and everyone answers it differently.

By heart, I mean emotions. It's not a perfect analogy, but it is just want comes to mind when I think of my emotions. They tie very closely in with my heart and what is going on there. I tend to be a pretty emotional person. This does not always show, but trust me, I know. My emotions sometimes drive me absolutely crazy. I believe God gave the ability to feel emotions for a reason. They aren't just random and without cause. I also believe that emotions can be dangerous if they are acted on rashly. I know this because I have experienced the repercussions of acting purely out of emotion. I believe within emotions, there is some truth, but it needs to be balanced with rational thought.

So...by head, I mean rational thought. I am realllllyyy good at analyzing things from a million different angles. I used to often overthink things. In the past I have blocked out emotion and instead relied only on my head to make decisions. This can also be very dangerous. To block out emotion is to deny yourself of a crucial part of your identity. I believe by relying completely on your head to make decisions, you slowly kill a part of yourself.

To make this matter even more complicated, there is that whole "gut" factor. I think you all know what I am talking about. Sometimes you just get a feeling in your gut that tells you what to do. It does not always seem rational, but it oftentimes just seems right for some reason. Where does that feeling come from? I don't know. It could be the Holy Spirit, the Enemy, or just your own self. I was talking with my mentor about all of this today and she said something about whether or not the feeling points toward God. I think that is an excellent question to ask yourself when trying to determine where that "gut" feeling is coming from.

So I've been trying to figure out where exactly I stand on all of this. Well, I guess I am somewhere in the middle. Yeah I know, that doesn't say much. I think you need to use your emotions as a guide, but you also need to balance them with rational thought. My thoughts on all of this are still forming, and I would welcome anyone else's thoughts on all of this.

Self-reflection

I like songs that have a forward-moving rhythm...songs that propel you forward...make you want to run. They remind me that life goes on and there is an exciting future awaiting me. They inspire me to keep moving forward.

I have been doing alot of self-reflection over the past couple of days. I did so much self-reflection this past semester I didn't think I would ever want to do it again. Well, I've found myself almost forced to self-reflect before I can move forward. At first it was painful, but I identified some areas that are due for some growth. It was painful to realize some truths about myself, but it is so exciting to know that I can now start working on those areas. It is so good to see that out of pain comes growth. That is the only thing that makes the pain a little less painful...knowing that I am learning something through it. This growth is what will keep me moving forward...on to new and exciting things.