finding that all too elusive feel good factor

... Finding that all-too-elusive feel-good factor...

Politicians and economists eye the horizon looking for signs of the feel-good factor returning after more years of recession than we care to remember. The shops are filling up, money is flowing again, so the good times can’t be far away, can they?

But Jesus – the subject of our study guide this month – suggests that the feel-good factor comes through giving things away, through not having everything we want, in working for peace between colleagues and neighbours. In short, he suggests that only when we’re hungry for what God wants will we feel good about our lives.

So, he suggests we try being kind, that we care for people (and not just family), that we put up with a bit of stick for not blending in with the crowd. This is how he lived, sharing what he had with anyone who needed it, welcoming all and sundry to enjoy meals with him, offering a new way of getting in touch with a God who can seem distant and unattainable.

He said that his father wants to give us all the things we’re really hungry for. The feel good factor has nothing to do with our credit balance, apparently, and everything to do with following Jesus on the adventure of our lives.