Heart, Head, Hands
This past week, at BlackHawk Church, pastor Matt Metzger spoke and brought a tripod to the stage. A tripod, as the name suggests, stands on three legs with each one being crucial to the structural integrity of the tripod. Without each leg being rooted, the tripod will topple over.
The three “legs” that I will be discussing today are our heart, head, and hands. These body parts are going to symbolize the three categories that we all fall into one way or another: feelers, thinkers, and doers. While no one falls into one, single category alone, everyone can agree that we are bound to feel that we fall into one more so than the others.
The heart. The head. The hands. Feelers. Thinkers. Doers. Which “leg” do you lean on the most? I for one lean most strongly on my heart. I am a feeler through and through, and while most men would consider themselves to rely more on their head than on their hearts, there should be no shame in admitting which category that you fall into. It’s how I’m wired; it is how God intended for me to be. My greatest strengths lie in the relationships I form with others. A thinker’s strengths lie with using reasoning and facts to make decisions while a doer’s strengths lie in getting things done well and on time.
Since I am undoubtedly a feeler, I will discuss this one in depth. Feelers enjoy the presence of others, and they feed off of interaction. Spending quality time with the ones they hold near and dear to their hearts is where they see God the most. It is through stories and experiences that they share with others that they get the most joy from.
One thing that is apparent about feelers is that they love to be loved. I think everyone is like this to an extent. I mean, who enjoys being around people who obviously do not like them back? People are hard-wired to desire to be around those who enjoy them. This would suggest that people shouldn’t hide their feelings for others. Life is too short not to tell people how much they mean to you. And what harm comes from it anyhow? Nothing. I am a huge proponent of ensuring that my friends know how valuable their friendship is to me — they deserve to be told that, and so do yours.
Today, I think it is hard for people, especially guys, to open up to their friends because there is a stigma as to what a “man” looks like today. Culture depicts men as emotionless, detached, stern, and brazen. This picture of what a man “should” look like leads to them suppressing their feelings. We shouldn’t have to do that. For a long time, I was embarrassed to call myself a feeler, but now I know I shouldn’t have to fear or be ashamed of embracing it. After all, whether they admit it or not, people love to be loved.
Pastor Matt made a claim that really hit home for me. People love to be loved. People who are loved love back. Who loved you first? Before you were even born? Before you were even a possibility? God. God loved us first — before anyone or anything — God loved us first. And thus, we love Him back. Some days are easier than others, but nonetheless we love Him back. Maybe you are reading this, and you have never felt loved by God. Maybe that is why you don’t love Him back or even believe He exists.
1st John 4: 9–11 reads this: This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Which one are you? Are you a feeler, a thinker, or a doer? As I stated at the beginning, a tripod requires all three legs to stand firm. While we undoubtedly are inclined to lean on one more than the others, we have to learn to rely on all three. As a feeler, I must make a conscious effort to “think” through things logically and by using facts and evidence to support my claims. I do this by leading a weekly apologetics discussion, helping others gain confidence in defending their Faith against those who challenge it by using empirical, historical, and Biblical evidence. I must also make sure I am following through on things: I must go and “do” God’s work. I strengthen myself in this by leading freshmen Bible studies and evangelizing. For those of you who are not feelers, try initiating spiritual conversations with your friends or just make an effort to let them know how much you care for and cherish their friendship.