Do you suffer from seasonal depression?

I believe  there are three types of seasonal depression people suffer with.

1. Actual holidays 
2. Actual seasons
3. A period of time after the death of a loved one


Holidays:
Valentine's Day is a week from today. I have already seen my single friend's posts on Facebook about how they are not excited for the day, or how they supposedly don't care about that day, etc. Why do we let a day that isn't even a real holiday bother us? You know how to fix that? Realize this important truth: GOD IS YOUR VALENTINE! God loves you so much that He gave His Son to die for you. That's huge! John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life."


Holidays & period of time after death:
When families get together on other holidays, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, we tend to miss loved ones who have passed. My Grand daddy died two days before Christmas and we buried him on Christmas Eve. That does somewhat over shadow every year. However, I do not dwell on it. I do not let it ruin my Christmas season. Sure, I think of him often and how he never met my kids. He would have loved to be taking them fishing. I know I will see him again one day, and that comforts me. If you are still crying and missing a loved one terribly after years and years of them being gone, you might need to get some extra help. It's normal to grieve. What's not normal is letting those deaths take away your joy. If you have a once in a life time event, enjoy it. Don't over shadow it with, "Well, my Grand daddy wasn't here to see this." That is a way for satan to steal your joy. Stop allowing that.

Actual seasons:
This winter has been the most odd ball winter we've ever had. We are now having winter storms with names, as if they were hurricanes. It has been unseasonably cold here in Southwest Georgia where I live. These days without sun shine can cause depression. Some people are snowed in their homes for days at a time. They get tired of being stuck inside. If you feel like you suffer from winter depression, talk to someone and get help for it. Find out ways to look forward to spring, without hurting yourself more. (I think they have a lamp you can buy to give you Vitamin D.) This is only a season, it is not a time that will be forever.

No depression is or has to be forever. Dig out! I like reading Scripture out loud when I'm down. My favorite protective verse and one that's just all around awesome is Psalm 91. I read it for my family and loved ones every night. 

Do not suffer alone! Talk to someone you trust about how you feel. Sitting in this state of mind alone will harm you more. Open up and be honest! You will be glad you did!

It's An Affair Of The Heart!

If you are close to my age, this title might make you think of a Rick Springfield song from the 80's. My friends and I were big fans of his! LOL

Yesterday I had a challenge from someone close to me, and a couple of amazing conversations after church. I love how God works!

Luke 6: 45 says, "45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of."

1 Samuel 16:7 says, "7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

These Scriptures say that whatever is in your heart comes out. And, God looks at our hearts, not our outward appearance.

When we sin, our hearts motivation is looked at. (By God.)

So, let's take worry vs. complaining. Worry is tormenting yourself over disturbing thoughts that come from fear. Complaining is verbalizing those worries and or expressing dissatisfaction.

These are both very negative. You actually end up tormenting yourself and others. They are both very distracting, waste time, and completely avoidable. Not to mention the fact that they both make it seem as if you do not trust God. Your heart is focused on the wrong things.

The Bible says for us to not kill, right? But if someone breaks into your home in the middle of the night, you shoot and kill them, is that a sin? What was your heart's motivation? To protect yourself and your family.

I am not justifying sin. I am not saying it's ok to sin. My biggest point here is this: 

WRITE THIS DOWN: 

We have NO right to judge sin. That's God's job.

God looks at the heart of the sinner. We look at the actions. 

We are all on our own journey in life. Some are further than others. We need to be helping each other along, not pointing fingers and judging. 

Another Character Flaw of Mine

I decided that I needed to make another confession. I'm not really sure why. I guess part of me wants to get it off my chest. While, at the same time, show the truth of who I really am. There have been a lot of views on the "Who Died and Made You Judge" post. I did not write that to be "holier than thou" by any means.

I believe it is healthy to see your flaws and make changes. We grow that way. You shouldn't be the same person you were three years ago! I said something to my church worship leader, Connie, the other day about how I used to be. I freaked out over something when I first attended church and emailed her about it. Sunday, I basically said I was sorry and how I've changed. She said, "

• "We should all be changing and growing.. If any of us are the same people we were 3 yrs ago we are in trouble!"
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I have to agree with her!

So, here we go. I'm a name dropper.

Yes, I said it. I have a bad habit of trying to impress people because of people I have met or know.

"WHY?", you ask. I am not really sure.

Maybe deep down I think people will like me more. Maybe I think if they are impressed with who I know or who I've met, they will like me better.

It sounds good for a minute, but typed out or said out loud, it really is ridiculous!

This is something I need to work on.
Is this something you struggle with too?

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What's Your Super Power? This is one of mine!

We all have that ONE thing we "power" that we wish we didn't. I saw this on a friend's Facebook page today and thought it was too cute. I've been "Anxiety Girl". Have you? 

Letting my mind wonder has proven to be dangerous for me! I think too far ahead. I freak out and worry that the outcome will be the worst possible thing.

Paul wrote to the church if Philipi and told them in Chapter 4: 6 of the book of Philippians "6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done."

Someone close to me has said, "Worry is like sitting in a rocking chair, all you do is go back and forth and you never get anywhere." 

Can you relate?

Jesus talked about worry. In Matthew 6: 25-34 He talked about not worrying about your clothing, your food, what you drink, etc. The BIG question from Jesus is this one, verse 27: "27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?"


Think about that a minute.

You sitting in that rocking chair, worrying, moving but not going anywhere. Are you adding to your life? Or taking away from it?

I say taking away.

Worrying about the "What If's" of life ROB YOU of a lot!

Decide today to let go of worry and anxiety. Remember, Paul says to pray about everything. Try that today. See how that turns out. Not only will you not be worrying, but you will be talking to God more. And, that's a good thing! 

Make a Difference Monday!

Well, the only good thing (for me, I'm a Broncos fan) to come out of the Super Bowl last night was a way for us to help others.
The band U2 joined up with Bank of America and are trying to help with the AIDS epidemic in the world.

They have a new song out called Invisible. It's a really good song. If you go on to iTunes today, up until midnight and download the song for free, they will donate a $1 to help with AIDS relief.

"Invisible" is FREE on iTunes NOW. The #NewU2Song to help @RED in the fight against AIDS. (Exp. 11/59 EST 2/3) http://smarturl.it/Connect4Red 

Take a minute and download this song! Think of the people you will be helping.

Who died and made you judge?

This might be long this morning, I am somewhat upset. I have an awesome 17 year old little cousin who sings, plays guitar, writes his own songs, and wouldn't mind making it in the music business. He sang at a local place a few weeks ago, and I wasn't able to go. Last night, I planned on it and went.

The "venue" is called Coaches Sports Bar & Grill. It is NOT just a drinking bar. Smoking is not allowed inside. They actually serve food. About 20 of my cousin's friends were there supporting him too. ALL of who are under the age of 21.

While I am there, I checked in on Facebook. "Supporting my little cousin", I wrote. Only to get a message from someone I used to attend church with. She let me know that she was deleting me from her friends' list because of where I was. 

OK! REALLY?

Who died and made you judge?


I guess I better not go to Applebee's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Logan's, Longhorn, Chili's, or Outback anymore either! They all have bars inside their restaurants too. 

The irony here is, I do not go out drinking. Honestly, I've never been to a real bar. But my goodness, I'm 40 years old and if I did, isn't that my business?

I could see if I was going out to these places every weekend. I could see if someone saw me with 6 beers or 4 mixed drinks on my table. Call me out then. Not because I checked in somewhere. 

If you are living your life to point your finger at others, you have the wrong goal! 

Matthew 7: 7 says, "7 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged."

I tell you one thing. I don't need friends like that anyway! I love my family, and if I am able to support their dreams, I'm going to! That's what family does! God is my judge. He knows my heart, not just where I am and what I'm doing. If He doesn't like it, He will let me know. 

Telling people what they are doing wrong is not love. You will NOT win anyone to the Lord that way. Love people where they are. Do not judge. Do not assume. (You know what assuming does anyway, right?)

Think before you judge someone, please.

Don't Bring Me Down!

In 1979, I was five years old. Back then, we did not have car seats and seat belts were not required by law to wear. 

(I know, how did we make it out alive, right? LOL)

This song, "Don't Bring Me Down" by Electric Light Orchestra was a hit. I used to stand up in my mom's truck, and every time the song said, "Don't bring me down." I would slide down in the seat. It was so much fun.

Today, I started thinking about people who put other people down. I have had someone in my life who spoke to me as if I were a child, instead of the adult that I am. It is very demeaning and hurtful.

Why do some people think it's ok to talk down to folks? Guess who they are talking down to, someone who is supposed to mean a lot to them. A family member, their best friend, a spouse... I mean, those are the people we should love and cherish. Right?

It seems to me that the person who willing puts down another person has issues of their own. Maybe they do not like themselves. There has to be a reason for being mean and hurtful. Maybe they do not know how much God loves them. Maybe they have bitterness in their heart from a past hurt and it is just oozing out into their relationships.

I think we should pray for people who hurt us. I know that's hard to do, but they have to be missing something. They are probably miserable and just want company. Which is crazy to me. I love my family and friends. The last thing I want is for them to be miserable!

When someone is mean to you, I say kill 'em with kindness. Try everything you can to not show them how hurt you are at first. However, you should stand up for yourself. Most importantly, FORGIVE them!

The Bible talks a lot about forgiveness. Peter even asked Jesus how many times are we supposed to forgive someone who hurts us. In Matthew 18 it says in 21 & 22": 21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” 22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!"

Do your best to not bring people down. Forgive the people who put you down. But do not continue to allow it for long. You deserve to be treated well, with kindness and respect. No one should be a door mat. Being a Christian does not mean we are to be door mats and just allow all kinds of stuff to happen to us. That's why there are boundaries. Protect yourself, but always forgive.

 You will make yourself miserable if you harbor hate.