One of Those Weeks

By: Adam McClendon
www.newlineministries.com

 

Arrrgggghhhh.  Ever have one of those weeks where everything feels heavy, where your moods are as unpredictable as a cheap yo-yo, and you feel like a shaken bottle of champagne ready to be uncorked?

We’ve all been there, and lately, it seems that I’ve lived there.

How do we deal with it?  How do we “fix” this problem and get back on track?  After all, Jesus said that his yoke was easy and his burden was light (Matt 11:30).

Well, the answer is much more complicated as a whole than can be addressed here, but some reminders can help steady the boat.  A complication in this process often occurs when we spend so much energy trying to figure out whether these spiritual attacks or tests are coming from God or from the enemy.  The reality is that regardless of the source of the emotional upheaval in our lives, our responses are to be the same.  Here is a recommended approach.

First, we need to examine our lives for any habitual or blatant sins and repent if any are found.  Let’s be clear here.  Living in violation of our conscience results in emotional instability.  We cannot quench the Spirit and ignore our conscience and be left unaffected.  Intentional rebellion eats at our hearts like an aggressive cancer, robs us of joy, and produces incredible emotional volatility.

Second, we need to be faithful in the spiritual disciplines of Bible intake, prayer, and corporate worship.  Often, we don’t spend time in the word, prayer, or go to church, because we do not “feel” like it; however, in these times, that is the very place we regularly need to be.  We need to let God’s word settle in our hearts (Ps 119:11), we need to cry out to God more faithfully in prayer knowing that he is ultimately the object of our affections and the one we need (Heb 4:14-15), and we need faithfully to encourage others in the church and be encouraged by them (Heb 10:24-25).

Third, seek forgiveness and accountability.  Let’s be honest, when we feel this way, we can be obnoxious, inconsiderate, and mean.  We need to confess our sin and ask for forgiveness from our spouses, children, co-workers, or anyone else that we have hurt in this process.  We also need to seek a couple of people to hold us accountable to the fact that our feelings cannot be used as an excuse for outbursts.  We should also seek wisdom from them on better coping methods.

Fourth, we need to keep the “big 3” in check: exercise, diet, and sleep.  Our spiritual and physical lives are inevitably connected.  When we neglect or abuse our bodies, our spiritual life suffers right along with the physical neglect.  Exercise, diet, and sleep all impact our emotional states as well.  Be sure to exercise reasonably (2 or 3 times per week for between 30min and 1hr each), eat reasonably (be sure to eat enough, but not too much and reasonably healthy food), and sleep reasonably (too much sleep will add to depression and frustration, but too little will add to irritability).

Finally, stay the course.  Hey, the reality is that it takes time to cross the desert.  Sometimes, we just find ourselves in a tough season and we just need to set the sail and be faithful through the storm.  The season will pass.  We just need to be faithful and not allow our emotions or circumstances to serve as an excuse for wrecking our lives with sin and our relationships with anger.

Sure, there are a lot more factors involved and a lot of nuanced circumstances that might dictate additional courses of action, but as a whole, if we will keep these 5 things in view, we will find that the dawn will come more quickly than it would have otherwise.

Blessings to you as you seek to steady the boat and sail into the dawn.

www.newlineministries.com