When Bad Feels Good

Physically or emotionally, through social contact or substance use, positive feelings drive proactive behavior designed to seek and maintain a high. There are plenty of natural, healthy, dopamine-releasing methods of feeling good—from exercise to music to falling in love. But there is also a tipping point at which use becomes abuse and focus becomes a fixation. People become addicted to people or activities in the same way they might become hooked on drugs or alcohol. And when attention becomes an obsession, socializing can turn into stalking. So if the problem is too much of a good thing, why is it so difficult to draw the line? Often, the answer is when an activity or urge is prideful and predominantly self-centered.

There can be too much of a good thing. For example, some condemnation is not about food and wine but gluttony and drunkenness. Ultimately, overindulgence will compromise both good health and good judgment. We strive to live in moderation, remembering that our bodies are temples of God which we are to present as a living sacrifice. We strengthen our resolve by walking by the Spirit in order to avoid gratifying the “desires of the flesh.”

The Bible doesn’t teach that everything that feels good is a sin. It does not instruct us to live a solitary life, destitute and deprived. On the contrary, Scripture encourages us, and God designed us to live, laugh, and love in community. Biblical warnings about sensual pleasures and temptations are designed to preserve and protect, not punish. We are not directed toward deprivation but moderation.

There is no biblical prohibition over feeling good and experiencing pleasure. On the contrary, God’s plan is to inspire us to find permanent peace and comfort instead of chasing cheap thrills and fleshly indulgence.