O'Connor's prayer became my own. One of the most important things I ve learned is that belief has little to do with feeling. If we wait for absolute certainty before acting, we ll never leave our easy chairs. Conviction will often lag behind doing the right thing. Truth is not dependent on our emotions.
Emotions can deceive.
Under the guise of Screwtape, an experienced demon writing to his apprentice, Lewis addresses the relationship between faith and feelings. But He never allows this state of affairs to last long. He leaves the creature to stand up on its own legs to carry out from the will alone duties which have lost all relish. It is during such trough periods, much more than during the peak periods, that it is growing into the sort of creature He wants it to be. He is pleased even with their stumbles.