Psalm 37:5
“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.” (ESV)

Today’s Thought
Why are so many people sad in January?

I saw a cartoon about December: There was a jolly snowman, beautiful snowfall, and twinkling Christmas lights.

Then there was one about January: The snowman was half-melted and crooked; the beautiful snowfall had been replaced with deep freeze chills; and the twinkling lights had been replaced by a mailbox full of credit card bills.

It says something about how many of us feel. After all…

It’s freezing. (To those of you in Florida, just keep it to yourselves! Lol)
The days are short.
Credit card bills from Christmas arrive.
There isn’t a holiday on the immediate horizon.
Many are coming down from the high of Christmas.
Social media makes everyone look as happy as the actors in ice cream commercials.
The weight scales burp and remind you of 5 new pounds.
Healthy food costs more at the grocery store.
54% of us have already broken our New Year’s Resolutions.
And if you have little kids it takes a boat load of energy to get them all bundled up and outside for only a few moments of fresh air.

It’s no wonder people struggle with feeling blue! January is December’s price tag.

So how do you arm wrestle the January sads? What do you do?

You do… SOMETHING.

Get off the couch. Go for a brisk walk. Kick start your prayer life. Make cookies for your neighbor. Shovel their driveway. Start that book you’ve been putting off. Meet a friend at Starbucks. Read Philippians. Go out of your way to encourage someone because guess what, they’re trudging through January too.

Want to feel more positive? Act that way before you feel that way.

When you do, you’ll notice that the days getting longer and lighter…

And so are you.

By Matthew Ruttan