January: the month of bulging credit card bills, empty bank accounts, failed New Year's resolutions, and the constant pressure of needing for this to be the best year yet. All coupled with less sunlight, frigid temperatures, and that post-holiday slump. Frankly, I'm pretty sick of the month in general.
For a while, I thought I was the only one who suffered from the January blues. But, after a little research (Blue Monday? Who knew?) and chats with those who I spend the most time, it seems everyone is having some struggles. There are mini life crises, questions about where God is leading, relationships that are struggling, financial strain, taxes looming, sickness, new insurance confusion, and the list goes on and on.
To combat some of my own January demons I've spent a lot of time trying to find some inspiration, pretty much everywhere I can find it. Conclusion? Life isn't all that bad. We have a very limited view of life. We can't see even a fraction of the road that God has laid before us. We barely see the next step most days. However, we do see everyone's smiles and celebrations on Facebook, Instagram, etc. and start to wonder why everyone else has a better life. They don't. That's just the stuff they are throwing out there. And... I'm just as guilty. We don't post pictures of the group text messages where we are trying to comfort each other through the battles or the 'couch moments' coupled with the ugly cries. Instead, we pick out all the laughing, fun, exciting moments to share with the world. No, I'm not advocating using social media as your therapist because, if we're honest, we don't want to read that either BUT it's helpful to share the downs in life with those closest to you, just as much as we share the pretty moments.
So... Maybe these little blurbs of inspiration that I've found will help you a little too. (None are original, all come from somewhere/something I've read.)
* "If anything inhibits fulfillment, it is probably our own unwillingness to let God fulfill us where we are now, with what we have now, as the persons we are now."
* "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone, my hope comes from him." Psalm 62:5
* "Self-pity is the response of pride to suffering."
* "God doesn't expect me to know it all, have it all, or do it all. He just wants me to trust Him through it all."
* "We can try our best to control all our circumstances to ensure we don't get hurt or that we'll get what we want, but it will never produce anything more than anxiety."
* "God is working on your problem. And what you need to do in the meantime is stay calm, stay sweet, stay out of fear, and keep on keepin' on."
* "I showed God my agenda and expected him to oblige. What I missed was that He is the door. This was not about me checking off my to-do list of accomplishments, but about me drawing closer to Him."
* "God is the author and perfecter of your dream. Our job is not to figure it all out, manipulate it into being, make the contacts, guard it fiercely, and stake an unwavering claim on it. God started it. God is faithful and more than able. God will finish it."
So... Just remember... Life isn't all that bad. We all struggle, we all have days of emotional crisis, and even the Type A/OCD ones of us won't ever get it all right. I just hope that you surround yourself with people who will listen to you vent, remind you that you are loved by God and them, and show up when the time calls for it.
So, let's try to embrace life, the good and bad, and realize that we're all in this broken world together.
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