So what do you do when you're feeling down? The cause, legit though it may be, does not really matter. Ultimately, there will be a day when it is my choice to wallow in self-pity or to get up and get on with life. Yes, there is trauma. Yes, there is grief. They are painful, and the work of healing is sometimes grueling. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about what to do when the sadness is an obviously passing thing -- a temporary condition to be endured, a bump in the road.
My temptation is often to do nothing. I heave a sigh, and sit, thinking stupidly that if I wait long enough, I'll feel better. WRONG. Watching a mindless TV show or movie doesn't really help. Ultimately, I'm going to have to haul my butt somewhere and DO something in order for me to feel better about life.
I love this quote from George Bernard Shaw:
This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
Here's another great one from Eleanor Roosevelt:
You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
The apostle Paul gave some similar advice to his young protege, Timothy: "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." 2 Tim 1:7. Good words for someone who steps out on faith only with much trembling and trepidation. Good words for me. I need to remember that fear and timidity don't come from God. Power, love and self-discipline come from God. Lord, give me more of that!
