Where did this week go? Seems like we just got started but it's almost Thursday into the weekend. Maybe writing on time issues last night was a bad idea. Looks like all it did was make the day move even faster. The decorations are slowly going up in the house. Tomorrow will be a day to take out old or empty boxes in order to see what else needs setting out. Today was yet another day of trying to exercise. My blue jeans appear to be shrinking so my goal is to get as small as them. Tonight was my time to pay bills. I can fully sympathize with those who are trying to get a handle on our national debt. While writing this my body is sore, my bank account is smaller and the calendar says the week is almost done. How can anyone want anything more?

Let me revisit one of my core holiday ideas yet again. Stress and crises do not take vacations just because it is December. My philosophy is that these even grow more potent simply because we can expect the days to be merry. Even the fact that it is the Christmas season is a big stress inducer. We talked enough about those reasons the last few days so just be sure you write that down somewhere. The point of all of this is to remind us that even if the holidays are expected to be happier just know that the negatives can feel even worse than usual. If you feel like you have the blues this month do not despair. It is just a sign that you are human.

I know that some believers would not even consider thinking about feeling sad during this holy season. My experience says that approach may be born more of denial than a devotion to truth. It seems abnormal for us to not feel some sadness if we are human. The key is in not allowing those blue moods to descend into despair. This is when all hope seems lost in our vision of life. The causes are very real and painful. But we have to learn how to live with hope without buying into the lie of despair.

Realize that hope is the byproduct of knowing God. It very well could be that He seems absent in the present tense but we know that isn't true. One of the agonizing methods of spiritual growth is hanging in there with God when every circumstance screams at us to just let go. We can be grateful that He doesn't use this approach often. I do believe that God is trying to get us into a depth of relationship with Him so our hope reaches beyond our situation. Some people will ask God for direction even if they have no intention of following Him in all of life. There are those who simply want God to fix life so it is easier or less painful. I cannot see those examples as evidence of real hope. They can be starting points for despair.

Can it be that we feel like God lets us down when it was our desire that was incorrect? We end up blaming God for our situations when we are the ones who created it. Mature faith will come to grips with impure motives in praying. It will be patient in order to fully discover all of God's blessings. Maturity knows that fixing blame is no solution to despair. The only valid answer is to anchor your life to God no matter the issue. This is something for us to reconsider on another night as my time is about gone here. Should you sense the oncoming pangs of despair just set yourself squarely in God's goodness. Be prepared to surround your heart with His truth. Don't become a casualty of your conditions. You may weep now but be assured joy will always arrive on time with God.

Bro. Trey