his post originally appeared in The Pastor’s Porch
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Each week, I share devotions, reflections, and honest words from the front porch of a rural pastor.
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The Discipline of Doing Anyway
I don’t know about you, but I’ve lived a lot of my life pulled around by how I feel in the moment.
There are times when I’ve felt close to God, full of purpose and peace. And there are other times when I’ve felt like drifting, like I couldn’t bring myself to open my Bible or pray. Or I’ve been too tired, too discouraged, too distracted.
I think a lot of us get stuck there—waiting until we feel inspired or moved to do what we know we should.
But here’s the truth: growth rarely happens when we do things only when we feel like it.
Children live their lives led by how they feel. They’re hungry, so they eat. They’re bored, so they whine. They want to play or zone out or run wild, and they don’t always consider what’s best or right—they just react.
But maturity—both in life and in faith—means learning to subject our feelings to something deeper.
It means praying even when we don’t feel like it.
It means showing up, even when we’re tired.
It means following Jesus, even when we’re discouraged, anxious, or uncertain.
Consistency has always been difficult for me.
Between having ADHD and often wrestling with depression and anxiety, I’ve struggled to do the right thing at the right time. But over the years, I can look back and see how God has helped me grow in discipline—and I’ve come to believe that real maturity is marked by what we do when it’s hard.
There is a difference between pushing yourself to always be “on” (which I wrote about last week), and learning to “do it anyway.”
Not for show. Not to earn favor. But because it’s good. Because God is good. And because that’s what love looks like—steady, faithful, rooted.
So maybe this is for someone who doesn’t feel it right now.
You’re tired. You’re numb. You feel distant.
But the invitation still stands:
Pray anyway.
Open the Word anyway.
Be kind anyway.
Trust God anyway.
He is at work, even when your emotions haven’t caught up yet.
☕ Porchside Update
Thanks for reading! This past week has been full around here. We kicked off our Wednesday night Bible study on the book of James and had a great turnout—including a couple of folks who were new to our midweek gatherings. God’s been stirring something in our little congregation, and I’m genuinely excited about where it’s heading.
Also—our kids just wrapped up another school year, so our house is in full summer chaos mode. (Parents, you get it.)
Christina and I are also hoping to be more intentional this summer about making space for each other. Life’s busy, but we’re looking for simple ways to slow down.
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Adam Will 