Do, then feel

A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others
will himself be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25

Yellowstone National Park stream

A wise thought, shared by my pastor, the venerable Will Healy, in a couple of different contexts recently, goes like this:

We can think that

- we do what we do because we feel the way we feel-

but in most instances it is actually that

- we feel the way we feel because we do what we do.

I agree. Often (but not always; truly there are exceptions) my feelings follow my actions. My actions are fed by my thoughts, both cognitive and emotive, and are interrelated; still it is important for me to recall that I can affect my emotions by how I choose to act.

“When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad.
That's my religion.”
-Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the U.S. (1809-1865)