First Baptist Church of Herndon

Easy to be sad

Linda Soller | Jan 12, 2015

So it appears that winter has finally arrived here in Northern Virginia. Last week we had a dusting of snow which looked and felt more like three inches of snow. Maybe I don’t know what “dusting” means? The sun came out and the temperature dropped. What’s up with that? On the news they say we should be happy about gas prices, but apparently they are driving down the value of our 401(k) accounts. So tell me again why should we be happy? I think it would be very easy to be sad right now.

Do you know someone who is bound and determined to be a victim? You know the person who always feels like things go wrong for them, or the person who is never to blame for the results of their actions, or maybe you know a person who has an excuse right on the tip of their tongue for everything. For these people it always seems easy to be sad.

So what do we do? Life happens to us all, but when life happens some folks surf along on the wave and land squarely on the nice sandy beach, while others end up on their backs in the foam wandering what just happened. Which person are you? Which person do you want to be?  I know there is no quick fix for years of bad habits or bad memories, but it’s a new year so why not decide to make a start at making a change.  I think instead of making a resolution we need to consider ourselves from the inside out. What is it you like about yourself? Maybe you are friendly, talented, smart, kind, or, well, you get the picture. Only you know what is going on inside of you. When you are finished giving yourself a little credit for all that is good inside of you, and there is plenty, trust me, you can start thinking about what people see on the outside. I don’t mean your physical appearance, I’m thinking more of what you let other people see in your personality or actions.

When I was a student, even in college, I loved the start of a New Year or new semester. I loved new notebooks and fresh pencils. I would start each time frame thinking I would be different or do things differently. Sometimes my plans worked and sometimes they didn’t, but I always looked at those starting points as an opportunity to clean up for the coming months. That feeling of cleaning up your act is really what I am talking about here.

Faith is no different. Now and then we need to take a good hard look at what we are feeling and thinking, and align that with what we are doing and saying. We need to connect again from the inside out. So how do we do that? I don’t think the answer is the same for everyone. Some of our scars run deep, and then again some of our actions are more a matter of bad habit or laziness. I feel like we each have to set aside some time to think about this, we start by praying for guidance, maybe make a list, or set some goals, it might mean going back to church or attending Bible study. In the world we live in today it is easy to be sad, but sadness takes up our energy and our focus. What we need is to try to find a way to set that sadness aside as soon as we can. We need to take those inside feelings, fears, and concerns and really ask ourselves if they deserve the attention we are giving them. Our faith in God tells us to let go of grudges to be kind and caring. We should look at our faith and ask if the way we feel inside and what we know to be true is being shown to others, and the world. It’s easy to be sad, but it’s important that sadness does not rule your life. It’s time to take a hard look at ourselves from the inside out.

Have great week!  :o)    Linda