Anyone else feeling it yet? 2018 is 10 days old and I already feel stuck under the weight of thoughts and feelings of inadequacy. Part of it is advertising that is mean to do just that. From stores wanting me to organize my entire home, to diet plans and fitness centers screaming that now is the time, to even car commercials showing me why now is a perfect time to get a new car, I'm overwhelmed.
I decided last month that I would try to keep my January not too busy to just recoup from the craziness of the last few months. So really, this isn't necessarily a new feeling, but I think just the calendar turning over to a brand new year brings anxiety and those feelings like another year has passed and nothing changed in me.
Before you send me that quick message or text telling me I'll be okay or try to encourage me, please know I'm good. It's just that time of year when things swirl in my brain and make me tired. Know how I've fought it this year? I quit. :) I literally have been binge watching a new show I found on Netflix for the last week every chance I get. The basics get done like work, dinner, a few errands, bowling.......then Netflix. My sister said it was about time I relaxed. :) I've actually not felt a ton of guilt, either, which is entirely unusual for me.
But, before you think I've completely lost my mind, I'll share the thought I had during Christmas that is helping me through my New Years Blues. As I drove home one night, I passed a large nativity scene that had a spotlight on it. I laughed as I passed because with the spotlight on Joseph, the shadow he cast was HUGE! I thought that it would be really hard to live in HIS shadow! :) Yeah, I have weird thoughts.
Weird or not, though, it got me thinking further about shadows that are cast in our lives and those shadows we choose to live our lives hidden behind. Do you have a co-worker who just seems to do everything better than you? What about a sibling who can do no wrong? How about a spouse that just doesn't seem to appreciate you and lets you know every chance they get? Maybe it's an over-achieving parent at your school who casts a huge shadow and makes you feel like you're the worst parent ever? If we're not careful, we can get lost in the shadows of so many around us and never step into the sunlight. After a while if we don't fight out of the shadows, it becomes a quiet, dark place that we will find comfort in because it doesn't force us to try anymore.
2018 is casting its very big shadow right now. I'll fight it back. I'll be sure to put it in the background as I tackle the things of this year. But I can't without the Lord. Psalms 91 is just what I needed to pull out of the shadows of this new year, but tucking myself into the shadow of my Savior. ❤
I decided last month that I would try to keep my January not too busy to just recoup from the craziness of the last few months. So really, this isn't necessarily a new feeling, but I think just the calendar turning over to a brand new year brings anxiety and those feelings like another year has passed and nothing changed in me.
Before you send me that quick message or text telling me I'll be okay or try to encourage me, please know I'm good. It's just that time of year when things swirl in my brain and make me tired. Know how I've fought it this year? I quit. :) I literally have been binge watching a new show I found on Netflix for the last week every chance I get. The basics get done like work, dinner, a few errands, bowling.......then Netflix. My sister said it was about time I relaxed. :) I've actually not felt a ton of guilt, either, which is entirely unusual for me.
But, before you think I've completely lost my mind, I'll share the thought I had during Christmas that is helping me through my New Years Blues. As I drove home one night, I passed a large nativity scene that had a spotlight on it. I laughed as I passed because with the spotlight on Joseph, the shadow he cast was HUGE! I thought that it would be really hard to live in HIS shadow! :) Yeah, I have weird thoughts.
Weird or not, though, it got me thinking further about shadows that are cast in our lives and those shadows we choose to live our lives hidden behind. Do you have a co-worker who just seems to do everything better than you? What about a sibling who can do no wrong? How about a spouse that just doesn't seem to appreciate you and lets you know every chance they get? Maybe it's an over-achieving parent at your school who casts a huge shadow and makes you feel like you're the worst parent ever? If we're not careful, we can get lost in the shadows of so many around us and never step into the sunlight. After a while if we don't fight out of the shadows, it becomes a quiet, dark place that we will find comfort in because it doesn't force us to try anymore.
2018 is casting its very big shadow right now. I'll fight it back. I'll be sure to put it in the background as I tackle the things of this year. But I can't without the Lord. Psalms 91 is just what I needed to pull out of the shadows of this new year, but tucking myself into the shadow of my Savior. ❤
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.a💕
2I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
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