Have you ever had one of those weeks where nothing seems to go as you want, everything your spouse says and does irritates you, you get bad news about friends and loved ones, your weight skyrockets out of control, and you don’t feel motivated to be productive? When all you want to do is eat, sleep, play computer games, watch TV, and read?
I’m having one of those weeks. And though I could point some fingers of blame, I know who the real culprit is—ME. When I get down like this I know at least two things are responsible for my bad attitude.
- I have fallen into an undisciplined lifestyle.
- I have failed to spend quality alone time with the Lord.
I don’t exactly know what set me off, but I suddenly realize that I’m not writing regularly, that I’ve let the diet go, that I’m not spending daily time with the Lord, that I’m not going to bed early enough to get a good night’s rest, that I’m not exercising regularly, or spending regular time in the word. In other words, I’ve allowed myself to become undisciplined in the last week or so. That leads to feeling that my life is out of control. I think that is the reason for these doldrums. It’s not what anyone else has done to me—but what I’ve done to myself.
And I know exactly what steps to take to get me out of this funk—the first one being to go sit on my back porch for an hour and confess my sin to God, then spend some quality time in fellowship and prayer with Him. Then I need to take control of my life—of the things for which I’m responsible. I need to exercise, eat right, drink water, go to bed at a reasonable hour, keep to my writing schedule, and enjoy some daily quiet time.
You might ask why I’m confessing so publicly to such a bad attitude. It’s because I enjoy my role of being a Titus 2 woman. “Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled,” Titus 2:3-5.
In this blog post, it seems I’m teaching the younger women that we all have times when we feel a little down, unmotivated and far from holy. It happens. But there are two bits of advice I feel I should pass along to you about this.
- Even though we all do it, and it’s a natural tendency we share, it’s never right to wallow in it. Obviously, I’m the last person to judge others for getting down occasionally—even someone as usually buoyant as I am. So visit the blues if you must, but don’t live in them. Get yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again, as the song goes.
- As with most problems, this one is caused or worsened by a lack of face-time with God. When you recognize you’re falling into a funk, ask yourself if you’re spending adequate time with your Savior, if you’re singing hymns of praise to Him, if your heart is joyful with the truths you discover daily in His word. If the answer is no (and I suspect it might be), then run to Him. He is the cure for all our ills and the only true source of our hope.
I’ll close with my brother, John’s, favorite verse:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope,” Romans 15:13.
Only in Him can we find the hope and motivation and inspiration we need to live pleasing to Him. Only in Him can we remember the joy that keeps us living and loving in such a way that sets us apart from those who have no hope.
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