#90: When all doesn’t feel merry + bright [Holiday Series]

Do you ever feel fleh? “Fleh” is a completely made-up word in our house used to describe when Ryan or I feel off.

We use it when there’s nothing big going on, no major life changes, but there’s still a sadness that’s settled over our souls. What do we do when all doesn’t feel merry and bright?

In this episode, we’re walking through:

Where we typically look to determine what’s rumbling in our souls causing us to feel off
The “if only” statements we beat ourselves up with
And where God is in the midst of all our mess.

When we feel off, we look for the source, and there are two places we typically look.

We look internally.
We look externally.

But in our looking and reflecting, we may into one of these three “if only” traps.

We tell ourselves: If only, I could name what’s troubling me.
We tell ourselves: If only, I had more faith.
We tell ourselves: If only, I was more grateful.

Here are two truths to remember when you don’t feel merry and bright:

We are humans, and God is God.
God doesn’t expect humans to hold themselves together. That’s His job.

Key Quotes

The God we love loves us back. He is always with us. He is One of mystery. And He alone holds all things together…even our hurting hearts.
Even a weak faith rests on a mighty Savior who holds us in His strong hands.
Perhaps our lack of feeling like ourselves is our unsettled soul’s way of speaking to us.
Our blessings do not negate the sadness we feel.