This morning I woke up and thought about my day; the start of another week. And I was feeling a little sluggish. Has this ever happened to you? You think about your day, and you're not too excited to get started? Maybe your life is repititious. Maybe you don't have much excitement.
Then I started to think about why I felt that way and how I could overcome it. It is not a bad thing to have these feelings, but it is not good to dwell on them. So what can we do about our life when we don't feel overly excited about it? Here are some suggestions:
One thing we can do is what Philippians 4:4 tells us, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice." It has been proven that when we have a positive attitude, it will help us to live more positively as well. The truth is, there is always something in life to rejoice over (the fact that you have a job, or wonderful children, or a place to live). On top of all of this, we can rejoice always, because God is always there for us; God will never leave us nor forsake us. If we waited to rejoice when life was perfect, we would never rejoice. In the rejoicing, we will tend to get more excited about our day and our life.
A second thing is to be thankful. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 we are told, "Give thanks in all circumstances." Now to some this might seem wrong. How can we give thanks in all circumstances. But we give thanks because we know that God can bring good out of any situation. And so we are thankful for a God who cares; thankful for a God who makes a difference in our lives; thankful that in the midst of life's struggles, there is still good to be found. When we live our lives as thankful people, we will find that life becomes more meaningful and more productive.
A third thing is to give of ourselves. You have probably heard the verse from Acts 20:35, where Jesus says: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." That is true. When we give, we forget our own struggles. When we give, we start making a positive difference with our lives. When we give, we feel good about ourselves and our lives because we find that we have purpose. People who enjoy their lives are people who freely give of themselves. People who are miserable are usually those who are selfish and don't know how to give.
As I reflected on these three things today, I realized that God truly has blessed me in so many ways. I am blessed with a wonderful wife and 2 children. I am blessed with being the pastor of a church that loves each other and is trying to make a difference in our community. I am blessed with good health. And so I sit here writing this blog with a new attitude for the day; one of thanksgiving and joy.
I would love to hear from you to know how you seek to overcome the feelings of being worn out by the daily grind. (pastorchrislogan@yahoo.com)
