Some days are good...great even, and some are not-so-good. Sometimes it feels like the sun will never go down and at other times, it feels like the rain will never stop. My week started with the latter. I woke up feeling alright on Sunday, and I even made it to church on time! Halleluyar, Praise the Lorrrd {like Madea would say – not like I’m a fan or anything}. So, I made it church on time and was feeling pretty good with myself. But, then it all went downhill from there.

You know how sometimes you feel bad, but you just can’t figure out why exactly you feel bad? I felt depressed but I didn’t know why. I was listless and unresponsive almost all day – I had no heart or strength to do anything. Ignoring the pile of presentations and term papers that I had deadlines for, I held my son and stared mindlessly at the TV. What was wrong with me? Moods are funny things. They come, they go. Sometimes they linger and drag other people down with it.

My depression lingered for a couple of days and I felt like I was bogged down in mire, struggling to get out. I wrote a piece a few months ago about David’s reaction when he was running from Saul, and how he made music out of chaos.

If David could encourage himself and sing even while afraid for his life, then I could dance! {I didn’t quite dance, but I sang a little bit}.

I eventually got over it, and I learned some things:

No matter how bad you think it is, it could be worse. Read or watch the news and then thank God for His mercies.
Having someone to talk to is important. You don’t need to share earth-shattering secrets with them, but just chatting and laughing with a loved one helped me immensely.
The Word is imperative! The Word of God is a soul-cleanser {Ephesians 5:26}. It washes away the things that build up in our hearts – stress, anger, bitterness, resentment, etc. – and neglecting it is costly.
Choose to put things in perspective and move on. Perspective is everything – if you pick up a pebble and hold it to your eye, it blocks everything out, but if you throw it on the ground, you see it as it is. You see it in perspective. Yes, we all have issues, but they’re not the end of the world.

So, I’m almost back to my normal self and I’m grateful for the lessons He teaches me every day even when I go through challenging times. Especially when I go through challenging times.

In the end, moods come and go, but we can hold on to the truth that our Anchor never moves. And for that, I’m incredibly grateful.

Onyih Odunze

How do you deal with ‘downer’ days? Please share your thoughts, and thanks for reading!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

If David could encourage himself and sing even while afraid for his life, then I could dance! {I didn’t quite dance, but I sang a little bit}.

So, I’m almost back to my normal self and I’m grateful for the lessons He teaches me every day even when I go through challenging times. Especially when I go through challenging times.

Let’s Connect!