One
source of sadness in this life is a melancholy personality. A melancholy person
feels things very deeply. Without Jesus to transform us, we often have sadness
for no reason at all. All the soul searching we do does not come up with a
source for our sadness.
Serving
others is one way that we can use to shed that deep internal sorrow that has no
source other than a personality trait. It is said, that serving the Lord and others
brings J-O-Y (Jesus-Others-Yourself = don't forget to bless yourself too (Mark
12:31).
Posting
Bible verses about joy around the house - especially on the bathroom mirror, on
our desk, and over the kitchen sink where we spend concentrated time - really
helps to turn mourning into dancing (Psalm 30:11).
Sometimes,
we need medication, especially if we suffer grief from a loss, a betrayal or a disaster.
There is no shame in using medication, or essential oils along with a clean
food lifestyle. We use these aids to help with other medical deficiencies in
our body, why not for the mind - another viable organ in our body.
A
trained, licensed therapist, a group of trusted friends, or a nice thick
notebook in which to journal, will also help us to express our true, deep
negative emotions. All of this often enables us to find the source of our
depression or melancholy mood and heal.
A
key tool for shedding this ethereal sorrow is praising God from A to Z. I go
through the alphabet and think of one thing that makes me happy that starts
with each letter. I always begin with "I praise You, Lord, for creating Aardvarks",
because just saying that word makes me giggle!!!
Prayer:
Father
God, when we realize that walking in Your Spirit each moment of our day brings
us a joyful heart (Ecclesiastes 9:7; Proverbs 10:28), we want to remain in Your
presence forevermore (Psalm 16:11). Just knowing that Your presence abides
within us fills us with indescribable and magnificent joy and pleasures (1
Peter 1:8-9). As we trust only in You, our God of hope, You fill us with Your
joy and peace, and we overflow with the power of Your Spirit (Romans 15:13;
Nehemiah 8:10).
As
we submit to the test of our faith that produces perseverance in us, we find
pure joy in our trials every time that we keep our focus on You (James 1:2-3).
Sometimes, when our melancholy personality attempts to drown us in depression,
just clapping our hands in praise to You, and shouting our thoughts and
feelings to You, will remedy the situation and dispel our sad mood (Psalm 27:6,
47:1; Isaiah 12:6). Your love gives us great comfort and joy throughout our lifetime,
and no one can take away our joy when we are focused only on You (John 16:22).
Thought
for the Day:
Once
we face our deep-seeded concerns, adjust to events, learn to use our voice to
stop abuse or unpleasant situations, find our self-esteem along with our strength
and fortress through the Trinity within us, as well as use the Serenity Prayer
to cope with challenges, we can find freedom and true inner joy regardless of
our circumstances.
- Psalm 30:5; Romans 14:17
