Several years ago, I began most days coaching myself to get up and be the grown-up I was supposed to be. You see, I didn’t want to face the day because it would probably be like all the yesterdays that had come before … dark, hard, and long.
I felt that way most mornings for a solid year. It was a long year of depression that was like nothing I’d ever experienced.
The doctor explained how menopause had come, and my body’s chemical support had gone haywire. I was full-blown, chemically depressed!
I’d tried to fix myself, but I just couldn’t. So, every day felt the same. I wanted to turn my back on each of them, roll over, and pull up the covers. Oh, friend, I know you’ve felt those same feelings. We all have.
It’s for different reasons that we share this dread. It may be that you’re just fatigued and worn out from all the stress of this year so far. It might be because you dread another encounter with your teenager, or maybe it’s all the heartbreak and uncertainty that happens with aging parents. It could be that an over-the-top controlling boss makes you feel you can’t face your day. It may be rejection, insecurity, or depression that makes you want to turn your back on today.
But you do have to get up! We all do. And, deep down, you want to. None of us want to stay stuck. But the thing is, no matter what we “want,” sometimes we just feel like we can’t.
No matter what you may be facing, this episode of the 4:13 Podcast reminds you that you can meet this day—and every day—with faith because you don’t face it alone. You’ll get three doable actions to help you get through a hard day or a hard season with a strength you didn’t even know you have.
3 Ways to Face Your Day When You Want to Turn Your Back on It
- Cry when you hurt. Sometimes life hurts. Harsh words or rejection can rip a hole in your heart. Or the tornado of uncertainty can tear you up inside, and the debris it creates can threaten to lodge there. Friend, that’s why you need to admit your pain and cry—to allow soul-tears to flow from your heart to God’s. Just like physical tears cleanse your eyes, crying out to God cleanses your soul. So, if pride or reservations keep you from crying, it’s time to abandon them and humbly admit your sorrow, pain, and needs to Him. Allow yourself to be honest and cry out to God when you hurt.
This includes being okay with actually crying. Even Jesus physically shed tears. When His friend Lazarus died, Scripture tells us that “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). It also says that when He saw the grief of His friends, He “was deeply moved in spirit and troubled” (John 11:33). Jesus not only let human sorrow enter Him, but He entered into human sorrow so much that He actually cried too. So, He understands your sorrow. Your sadness and grief move Jesus. Your tears are precious to Him (Psalm 56:8).
If this kind of emotional honesty or vulnerability is hard for you and you aren’t sure where to start, look at David’s example in the Psalms. When David didn’t want to face his day or life, or when he was rejected, slandered, chased down, and threatened on all sides, he cried out to God. He said things like, “Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray” (Psalm 5:1–2). When you’re hurting, you can do the same. Honesty leads to intimacy, but repression leads to depression. So, cry when it hurts. Your tears are safe with your God.
- Trust God more than your feelings. Feelings are real, but they don’t always reflect absolute reality. In other words, your feelings about a situation may not always match the facts of the situation. Feelings may cause you at times to misunderstand, misinterpret, and become miserable because of it!
Even though feelings may be unreliable at times, they’re still important to acknowledge. They hint at what is in your heart and your head. They point to what you fear and what you desire. Feelings often reveal beliefs that you didn’t even know you held. Emotions can be incredibly revealing, so don’t repress or totally disregard them. Instead, learn from them. Ask yourself: What do these feelings represent? What are they inviting me to pay attention to? How am I feeling right now?
As you learn from your feelings, be sure that they serve you rather than govern you. If you let them serve you, you employ them as an intuitive detective that can lead you to ultimate truth. They can remind you what you actually believe. Feel your emotions, but don’t confuse them with facts or base your faith on them. A fact is that God never changes—so you can ultimately and always trust Him more than your feelings. Second Corinthians 5:7 says, “For we walk by faith, not by sight”—or feelings. God is faithful, God is with you, and you can trust Him with every detail and moment of your day … and of your life!
- Choose loyalty over logic. Choose to loyally love God and faithfully follow Him even when the path you travel feels dark, hard, and long. When sorrow invades your life, it may not seem sensible to you. But sometimes you just have to settle in the mystery of God and be more devoted to His revealed character than your mind’s natural reasoning.
Sister, you can rest in the fact that your logic sometimes just isn’t enough. What God says about Himself is more dependable than what any of us “think” or “feel” during a trial. Remember, God calls Himself “I Am,” not “I feel” (Exodus 3:14). This means that sometimes you just need to trust and stay connected and loyal to God even when it doesn’t make sense. God can use whatever you’re facing that makes you want to turn away. And, as you stay faithful to Him, you will see His faithfulness more clearly.
So, hang in there, my friend. You can face your day when you know He’s with you, He’s for you, He’s compassionate, and He’s good. Don’t be discouraged and lose heart. The next time you want to call out, “Do I have to get up?” tell yourself, “No, you don’t have to, but you get to—and you want to—because you don’t face this day alone!”
Until next week, remember that whatever you face—even if you feel like you can’t face it—you can. You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength.
Related Resources
Bible Studies by Jennifer Rothschild
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