Sometimes Life Is Blue

"Always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:15-18).

Sometimes life is golden and sometimes life is blue.

It had been a very busy week and I was worn out. However, I was looking at a Friday night date with my wife, an early morning hunt with my son and a weekend to get over the week that had worn me down. But when I got home, my wife was bedridden with a bad cold, my son decided not to hunt and my brother had promised my favorite hunting spot to a friend. I sat down to commiserate over my favorite TV show, and it was a rerun. I was in a nasty mood, was grouchy with my wife and could not get over it.
In the shower I forced myself to give it all to God.

Even as doctors, we can’t always control the way life comes at us. And, even as Christians, we don’t always react to unpleasant events in a Christ-like fashion. God placed our emotions in us for good reasons, but just like our intestines, they sometimes have a will of their own.

Blue funks will come, sometimes for good reasons and sometimes out of the blue. We can’t help that they come, but we are responsible for managing them to God’s glory. If we would only hurt ourselves with our bad moods, it probably wouldn’t matter, but we tend to hurt others in our sadness. That’s probably not God’s best plan, so I have taught myself to do three things when I am forced to push through a time of emotional oppression:

I continue to tell myself, “Be kind.”
I surrender my sadness over to God, “For your Glory.”
I give thanks for all God is doing within the difficult circumstances.

Our emotions are like poorly trained thoroughbreds. When they are charging in God’s direction we should hold on and ride them for all they are worth. But when they choose to turn their own way, we need to get off and tug them where God is leading so that we do not trample our fellow travelers.

Dear God,
Let me follow your will, even when my emotions want to wrap me in their chains.
Amen