Life is full of ups and downs. None of us can escape them and that includes people of faith. However, how we respond can make a difference between being marooned on an island of despair or sailing freely on the ocean of life.
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Many things can make us sad or discouraged. Shattered dreams, stagnation, ill health, broken relationships, material loss, bereavement, and lots more. We may go from grieving to feeling abandoned and unloved by God and people in our lives. We may even feel that all hope is lost and life is not worth living anymore.
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I do not for one moment underestimate the gravity of what you’re going or have gone through. I do not even deny that you have a right to feel bad. After all, there are so many bad things that happen which we didn’t ask for. We’ve likely lived right and haven’t hurt anybody before.
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However, I wish that you go through what I have to say because I sincerely believe that you need to and can come out of the funk you’re in right now. That applies even if where you are now is a result of your own mistakes. But you would need to make things right with God if you’re going to fully benefit from what I’m about to share with you.
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I want you to know that I don’t intend to spout scriptures which you are probably familiar with at you without properly contextualising them empathetically. What I want to do is to present to you the things that God taught me by His Spirit (some of it certainly from His word) over the years in my personal battles with the dumps.
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In order to avoid making the discussion clumsy, let us start with some vital things you should take into account with respect to your state of mind. In the next instalment of the article, we’ll look at specific ways you can confront the blues enfolding you.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR STATE OF MIND
1. Know that you deserve to be happy. God loves you so much and has made every provision for your salvation, healing and deliverance from all manner of tough situations. He is not only interested in your keeping His word, He is interested in your overall well-being as well.
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“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” – 3 John 1:2
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This is God’s desire for you. So work with Him on it. Even if you’re going through a negative season that seems to be divinely ordained. I believe that God is offering you His grace as He did to Paul in a similar situation and note His assurance about how far that grace will go.
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“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9
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2. And just in case, you are still feeling unworthy of happiness, God goes ahead and gives it as a directive that you be happy. And who should He choose to do this but His servant David who was hounded from cave to mountain to desert by King Saul for many years even though he had been anointed king over Israel and the apostle Paul who, by his own admission, had a thorn in the flesh!
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“Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.” – Psalm 32:11
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“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” –
Philippians 4:4
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3. Know that a prolonged stay in the dumps can be injurious to your health. Without going into the science of it, common sense tells us that skipping meals or stuffing oneself with comfort food, staying in a dark room, crying constantly, and entertaining thoughts of hurting oneself or others – the things that people often do when they are in a funk – can harm the person involved physically and psychologically. The Bible puts it this way:
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“Being cheerful keeps you healthy. It is slow death to be gloomy all the time.” Proverbs 17:22 (Good News Translation)
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So while you’re entitled to some anger, grief or whatever other emotions you need to process your negative experience, there comes a time when you ought to accept the comfort of the Holy Spirit and people around you for your own good. If you are in tune with the Holy Spirit, you’ll know the right time.

We see this in the life of David in 2 Samuel 12:16-23. God had struck the child David sired through his illicit affair with Bathsheba with sickness and David was deeply distressed. He refused food, lay on the floor and implored God to spare the child’s life but after seven days, it died.
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When David found out what had happened, he arose, cleaned himself up, went to the house of the Lord and worshipped. Then he came back home, ate and comforted Bathsheba. His servants had been hiding the fact that the child had died thinking he might do “something desperate” (that is, “do himself harm”), having prayed so hard that it might live but David knew where to draw the line (v. 18 – NIV, NASB).
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Notice that David’s inability to change the mind of God on the matter did not produce bitterness or resentment in his heart towards God. Some of us are bearing the consequences of our mistakes and blaming God for watching us suffer. Our attitude, rather than bring relief, shuts us off from the divine comfort and grace that could be ours in our predicament.
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4. Know that the melancholy state you’re in, whatever it’s cause, is not all-powerful. You can beat it, it doesn’t have to dominate your life and become your trademark. You may not turn into a giggly, chirpy sort, but you don’t have to spread gloom either or keep everyone on tenterhooks concerning your psychological state.
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If, however, you have been diagnosed with clinical depression or other forms of mood disorders, stay on the treatment and believe God to see you through. And I pray that the healing virtue of God will locate and soothe your heart and soul today in Jesus’ name.
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The foregoing are some of the truths that God gradually inculcated in me that gave birth to my trademark smile. This replaced the severe expression I wore in the past that made me look worse than my circumstances warranted. May your joy be born today if you are constantly down, may it flourish and overtake you, may it confound the things confronting you that think you’ll never escape their grip and may you look toward the future with hope in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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The scriptures used in this article are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible unless otherwise stated.

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