January 7, 2021
Well, seven days into the new year and the national news has shocked us yet again. Trauma used to be limited to individuals or communities, but not anymore. The troubles of 2020 on multiple fronts are still awaiting us as a nation. It reminds me of an observation a wise friend of mine recently prayed at the end of December,
‘At the end of this very challenging year, it seems our hearts are filled with vain hope that the turning of the calendar will somehow eradicate injustice in our world, that singing ‘Auld Lang Syne’ will remove discord and division in our society, that simply the start of a new year will be sufficient to ease our old fears, end our unrest, and eliminate our vices and weaknesses.”
Wow, vain hope it will all just go away. The virus, the national unrest and our pattern of despising one another is alive and well in 2021. But this does not have to rob us of hope.
The conditions we hope for ‘health, prosperity, breakthrough conversations & peace’ are still possible. Yet, they just do not happen overnight. Change takes hard work. For peace to return to our society, something has to change in our individual hearts collectively. I suggest for a breakthrough to succeed, we must change what we consume & how we react. This seems to work in several areas, physically (food & exercise), emotionally (what we hear & think) & relationally (conversations & reactions).
A brighter future of meaningful change requires not only new decisions on my part today, but also processing past anxieties and anger. I imagine if you are a news watcher the happenings at the US Capitol building are quite upsetting. However, what I also noticed for me was that my unsettled feelings over the unrest from the summer of 2020 was also bubbling over in my veins.
So, I ask the questions of emotional health for each one of us:
How are you doing emotionally?
What exactly is giving you the most anxiety? What is the root of the stress?
On a personal level, what needs to happen to help process any anger/pain and find peace again?
For me, I am reminding myself of the fundamentals that work for me:
1. Avoid bingeing on the news (‘ya right’).
Remember the media thrives of this divided nation of racism, hatred & turmoil.
2. Don't translate this anger into hating individuals (real or imagined villains).
For me, don't dive into any toxic social media (‘oh so tempting...’).
3. Seek safe therapeutic conversations with friends & the Lord Jesus.
What are your fundamentals for healthy emotional living? I’ve realized life is too short for losing friendships & peace of mind over events I can’t change. Now my reactions, that surely can change.
We need to consume Good News.