Blow Away Those Holiday Blues….

Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, “Let the LORD be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.” And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness; And of Your praise all the day long. Ps 35: 27-28

Do any of you suffer from the “Holiday Blues”? Do you find yourself listening to sad songs or watching sad love stories? Does the house seem bare without all the colorful Christmas decorations? Or are you simply dreading the idea of packing them away? Are you missing your grown children, grandchildren, parents or cousins? Do you feel like you need to take a cruise or move south for the winter?
It is normal and very typical to feel a bit of a let down after the holidays, after any holiday really. But, pretty soon many of us will be looking forward to Valentines Day. It is just around the corner and I am sure “pink” will be in once again.

But, what to do you do until then? I think this is a great time for reflection. Just what did you get out of the holidays aside from presents and bills that won’t be paid off until next November? Just what did the Season mean to you? What did you learn from it all? How did God touch your heart and more importantly how did you touch His?

I am back home now. Back to my solitude, my very quiet life and God has been dealing with me in many ways and I have been making a few new changes in my life. I want to be more righteous in a very godly way. I want to serve God more. I have been doing a lot of reflecting lately and have realized that I have learned a few good things throughout this holiday season and have discovered a few things that need to change.

The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell in it forever. The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice. The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide. Ps 37: 29-31

I learned that I don’t need to buy so many things. This year my budget was severely cut back, I didn’t charge any gifts and I only bought one new piece for my Christmas Village. More money went into travel than I would have liked but I am so glad we went to visit family, as that is what is truly important to me. Love and family: Togetherness.

I live in a very conservative area and this is not a bad thing by any means but at the same time the people all seem to think inside this very tiny box but I want to live outside the box or at least in a larger box so I can see things for myself and make my own decisions and choices. God gave me a brain and I want to use it and be open-minded for His glory and purpose in my life. I was beginning to feel like I was being suffocated to death with politics and religion being crammed down my throat. I don’t think God made us to live in such a fashion; otherwise he might as well have made us all puppets on a string with no free will of our own.

Therefore, my dearly beloved, shun (keep clear away from, avoid by flight if need be) any sort of idolatry (of loving or venerating anything more than God). I am speaking as to intelligent (sensible) men. Think over and make up your minds [for yourselves] about what I say. [I appeal to your reason and your discernment in these matters.] 1 Corinthians 10:14-15 Amplified

So, instead of wallowing in the blues, I am reflecting upon the Season, upon my life and making some changes. I plan to simplify my life. While we were building our new home we lived without so many things in a tiny cabin and frankly, I liked it! I liked the “simple” life. So, I am getting rid of “stuff”. I knew this was a confirmation from God when my dear husband said he was looking in our walk in closet and thought he need to get rid of at least half his clothes.

I am also climbing out of my box and seeing the world for what it is and then asking the Lord what he thinks I can do to help make it a better place. I am tired of being told what the world is like, especially from people who never go out into the world. They just read or hear about it from the same daily sources. I want to find out for myself.

Another thing I plan to do is “tame my tongue”. I want to only speak blessings to people. In the Bible God tells us guard ourselves:

“I will guard my ways, Lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, While the wicked are before me.” Psalm 39:1

What do you plan to do to make life better for yourself; your loved ones and those God will put in your path in the New Year? Take some extra time to spend with God and reflect on all that you learned during this past Christmas season and put it to use for God’s glory.

God Bless!