Lately I’ve felt like Ms Grumpy Pants.

That’s not like me and I don’t like it. I’m not the only one either, even Suzie Eller wrote about this.

It’s a thing in this sea of crazy things we’re experiencing but it doesn’t have to be.

We trust God completely–we love Him and we believe His word is true–He works all things together for good–He uses for good what the enemy intends for evil–He has overcome the world.

Yes, God’s girls believe this.

All who are in Christ have Christ in us, the hope of glory.

Yes, God’s girls believe this too.

Believing is beautiful and positivity is a powerful thing but what happens when we aren’t feeling so beautifully positive?

Is that OK?

Yes, it is.

We get tired and weary and let’s give ourselves some grace because even Jesus grew weary from long journeys (John 4:6)–and isn’t our current journey feeling a bit long?

Even the most positive ones of us can be negatively impacted by a broken world. We may not realize how our subconscious is interpreting repeated messages of heaviness and how a barrage of negativity weighs down our soul.

It’s OK to Talk About It

It’s OK to talk about what we’re feeling. It’s OK to release what is internal so those feelings can find a voice and a safe cushion to land on.

Releasing feelings of heaviness makes us feel lighter. Share on X

Just say it out loud.

Those who judge levels of faith are experiencing their own fears. True friends will encourage us to be real about what we feel.

Instead of hoping nobody sees it, let’s share how we really feel so we can all grab onto hope together.

Voicing our feelings helps others voice theirs.

Letting it out takes away the power of fear and activates courage.

Bringing fear into the light comforts those sitting afraid in the dark.

Beginning Well

Positivity and negativity end the same way. It reminds us how important it is to begin well.

Life is joyful and hard at times.

We always have a choice to begin well and we can do this by taking action. This action begins with and ends in tivity–activity which leads to productivity.

Beginning our day well by engaging in positive activity negates negative feelings of fear, dread, and overwhelming exhaustion.

Positive Activity

Pray favorite scriptures out loud
Read through 1 Peter (written to the dispersed church)
Read Psalm 91, 16, or the entire book
Limit what you take in so you’ll have more to give out–be informed but be selective
Have virtual coffee with a friend on Zoom (it’s free)
A merry heart is good like a medicine so laugh more (Proverbs 17:22)
Do kinds things for others–God will direct you
Write out your feelings in a journal
Clean out a closet
Move your body–walk, bike, stretch…
Use your creativity and express yourself through art and move through dance (ballet is my fav)
Sing worship songs and remember God sings over you (Zephaniah 3:17)
Believe and trust that God has this and no matter what happens everything will be OK
Accept that God’s definition of OK is better than our definition of OK
Look for the good and speak life-giving words about being thankful and grateful so your heart can hear it and others can too
Rest–so important and is actually more productive than we give it credit for