Will: Your New Best Friend

The old saying, “Follow your heart,” is actually poor advice because persistence will always take you farther than emotion. It doesn’t matter if you’re “feeling it.” What really matters is to will it. In this article, I want to convince you that in the long run, your willpower will always triumph over your feelings. Choice will shape your future more than the strongest voice inside your heart.

Every journey worth taking offers excitement but will usually demand far more of you over time. Whether it’s pursuing a relationship, chasing a dream, or growing spiritually, it won’t take long to realize that emotion alone isn’t enough to carry you to the finish line. It takes endurance—the unwavering commitment to press on, regardless of how you feel—to lead you all the way.

Emotions are powerful! Joy, excitement, and inspiration can ignite a fire within you to take the first steps of any journey. But emotions naturally ebb and flow, often influenced by circumstances, other people, or the simple ups and downs of life. When you rely solely on how you feel, you may start strong but eventually stall when the journey becomes difficult or dull.

Endurance, on the other hand, is the slow burn that keeps you going even when the emotion fades. It’s waking up on hard days, showing up when it’s inconvenient, and keeping your eyes on the goal no matter the cost. Endurance is fueled by will—your personal drive that sustains your commitment to the path ahead, long after the blaze of initial passion fades.

Imagine building a beach house on shifting sand—the structure may stand at first, but without a strong foundation, it will eventually crumble. Emotion gives you the push to start, but endurance is the foundation that anchors and sustains any great effort. Deep commitment always outlasts surface-level enthusiasm.

Willpower reaches far beyond emotion in every aspect of life—including the spiritual. In faith, as in every other area, it’s those who push through the storms and persevere against the odds who experience the growth and rewards that only time can bring.

History and the Bible alike are filled with stories where grit triumphs over feelings—no matter how deep those feelings run. Just as the ancient Greek Olympians who ran the marathon demonstrated to the crowds, it’s not how you feel in the moment that determines who wins the laurel wreath, but the choices you make when the race is most challenging that matter most.

Relying on willpower means staying true to your principles, even when your emotions urge you to seek comfort or relief. It requires unwavering vision, resilience, and a deep commitment to the reasons you began running the race in the first place.

I hope I’ve convinced you by now of the importance of having a rock-solid will. If you’re still following along, it’s time to tackle one of the greatest myths in human society—the idea that love is simply a bundle of emotions. When you look at a lasting relationship, study the sacrifices that love requires, and understand what the Bible teaches about love, you’ll realize that nothing could be further from the truth.

1 Corinthians 13 is the definitive chapter on real love. It shows that true love is not just emotion—it’s endurance. This passage offers a vivid depiction of what God’s love is like. And since God is love, it also serves as the ultimate example of what human love should be.

When your will to love someone leads the way—supported, but not ruled, by your feelings—you discover the strength to finish what you begin. In the end, endurance builds the kind of life that fleeting emotion never could.

So, choose endurance over emotion—not just for a moment, but for a lifetime.