-All of the
credit card bills from Christmas and Hannukah are coming in.
-You are
starting to get your W-2’s and 1099’s which remind you that tax season is
coming.
-Your New
Year’s resolutions are losing steam or have stopped altogether.
-The days
are still short and the nights are still long, and if you live in cold weather
climates, the weather often stinks.
-In the
Northern Hemisphere, Spring seems to be a long way off.
-Any
negative changes in your pay start showing up in your paycheck. If you got a raise, you see how much more in
taxes are being taken.
-The full
impact of Obamacare is now in place.
-If you are
a Republican, you have to endure another State of the Union speech by President
Obama.
-If you are
a Democrat, you are now the minority in both houses of Congress.
Feeling depressed yet? And if you are off from work today,
you have more time to worry about all of this.
What are some of the solutions offered?
One that many people take is to get high or intoxicated. One expert I saw on the news suggested eating
certain “comfort foods” can raise your mood.
Her best suggestion in my mind was eating chocolate, a no-brainer for
lifting my mood. Many offer any number
of medications as a temporary solution.
Isn’t there an answer that goes deeper, more to the core of
who you are? An answer that would make
you less vulnerable to the changing circumstances of life and the date on the
calendar? I want to suggest to you a
deeper and more meaningful connection with your Creator. The Bible presents God as the One who is everywhere
present, all powerful, all knowing who created us to be in relationship with
Him (see Psalm 139). And as God, He says
that you can have genuine peace and hope through knowing Him (Isaiah 26:3,
Jeremiah 29:11). Jesus Himself offers
this promise, Peace I leave with you, my
peace I give to you. Not as the world
gives do I give to you. Let not your
hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. If you want to be able to live in peace
regardless of your circumstances, the only way to do this is in connection with
God.
The apostle Paul picks up on this realization and describes
the reality of it in his life. A life,
by the way, that was full of terrible circumstances that would depress anyone
(see 2 Corinthians 11:22ff.). He
describes this in Phillipians 4:11-13, Not
that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever
circumstances I am. I know how to get
along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance I have learned
the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and
suffering need. I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me. Did
you catch what Paul is saying? He says
that he has learned how to be content regardless of his circumstances. How is that possible? Paul says it comes through his connection to
Christ.
Feeling depressed?
Looking for an answer that runs deeper and impacts the core of your
being? Do you want to live a Paul
did? Reach out to us and let us help you
find the answers God has for you.
Blessings,
Dr. Paul
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