What??! Counselors get in grumpy moods? Wait… Christians get in grumpy moods?!
Yes. It’s true.
I am a Christian, a counselor, a wife, a daughter… and a human. We all have our good days and our bad days, sometimes for no real reason at all. There are probably hormones involved, too much/not enough sleep, poor diet, and of course miscellaneous tiny things that sometimes feel huge and annoying.
So what do we do when we find ourselves in those grumpy moods?
We can’t simply use our willpower to force ourselves to feel better, but we can focus our mind, energy, and activity on things that tend to naturally make us feel better.
Want my secret?
My favorite thing to do when I’m in a grumpy mood? (Like, perhaps, right now… a Monday morning at 11:35… when nothing particularly horrible has happened today, and in fact earlier this morning I was in a great mood…)
My favorite thing to do when I’m in a grumpy mood is write people thank-you notes.
It’s not magical, but it is powerful.
Sometimes, there are specific things that I can thank people for. “Thank you for your donation to iHope!” or “Thank you for your great sermon last week!” are always nice. But more often than not, these notes are simply to say hello to someone I care about, tell them that I’m thinking of them and something wonderful about them, and sometimes to offer a prayer for them right there on the card.
I can’t force myself to feel any particular way, but I know that God still calls me to “rejoice always.”
I can certainly rejoice in the gospel always – that my sins are paid for, that I’m God’s chosen daughter, that I’ll have eternal life with him where there is no pain, suffering, tears, or death. And I can certainly act in ways that are still kind, thoughtful, compassionate, and loving, regardless of how I’m feeling any any particular moment.
But I still want to feel better! And there’s something about giving thanks, encouraging people, and prayer that tend to change my feelings in ways that only the Holy Spirit can understand.
What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re in a grumpy mood?