We sing carols and songs of cheer, bake cookies and watching movies filled with family gatherings. It must be the most wonderful time of the year! Everyone must be bursting with joy and gladness during this time of year, right? Wrong. It’s not uncommon for people to start feeling depressed during the holidays. The holiday season automatically brings joy to some and gloom to others based on individual perceptions, expectations, and relationships or lack thereof. Most people look forward to spending time with family and friends, traveling, exchanging gifts and sharing stories around an open fire. While there are others still mourning the death of loved ones, spending long hours at work trying to fill a void and refusing to spend time with family because they feel inadequate.
This is why it’s very important to have the mind of Christ even more so during the Holidays because our thoughts dictate our actions, moods, and beliefs. The enemy’s purpose is to get you to focus on things you don’t have versus being grateful for all the things you do have. His job is to bring confusion and defeat into your life. It’s vital that you don’t allow Satan’s voice to overpower God’s voice, this holiday season.
So, let’s look at the many reasons one would find themselves singing the “Holiday Blues” and how to overcome:
No money, just problems. Don’t go broke or run up your credit cards trying to purchase gifts for everyone. It’s okay to set boundaries and let people know that this year you will not participate in any gift exchanges. On the other hand, if you would like to still give gifts try tapping into your creative side and create something meaningful from the heart.
Missing a loved one. It’s not uncommon to find yourself reminiscing about a loved one who has passed away. Instead of drowning in sorrow I would admonish you to find ways to celebrate life with your living loved ones. Instead of isolating yourself try creating a new tradition in your family where you share stories about your missed loved ones during the family dinner or create a conversation box to encourage everyone to talk about their emotions.
The black sheep. In every family, there’s always one person who believes that they don’t belong. Although you may “feel” this way there are people who love you and all your uniqueness. If you are feeling like the black sheep, I encourage you to step outside of yourself and communicate to your family just how you really feel and let the healing process begin.
Believing the lies of the enemy. Often times we find ourselves caught in a web of deceit that we’ve spun based on the things we decided to believe. The enemy’s job is to feed you a little bit of deception at a time until you’ve isolated yourself from friends and family. You overcome the schemes of the enemy by believing what God says about you and allowing him to make all things new
Written By: Ebony Parker