Monday Morning Devotion-September 24, 2018

Feeling Downcast

The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you.  He will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.    Deuteronomy 31:8

            Have you ever felt downcast?  Was it recently?  Do you feel downcast right now?  Do you know what downcast means?

            "Most frequently downcast describes a person's mood; downhearted, down in the mouth, down in the dumps.  Just plain old down.  It can also refer to the direction in which something is pointed---down.  Your eyes for instance, gazing downward, are downcast." (dictionary definition)

            Now you know and I'm sure you have felt downcast at least once in your life. :)

So, what to do?  How do you shake that downcast feeling, turn it into something positive, even benefit from it?

            Often, I think we feel downcast when we feel neglected.  That is an easy trap to fall into.  We see good things happening in others' lives.  We see them getting a lot of attention and it is easy to think: "Hey, what about me?"

            Here's a suggestion to help you feel better.  Do something for someone else.  Say what?  Hey, I'm the one that is being neglected here.  Yeah, but---there is always a yeah-but out there.

Yeah-but when you do something for someone else your spirits are lifted.  You may even forget about that neglected feeling.  You can't help but feel good about your actions.

            Conversely, when you are feeling downcast you may just need to take a little break and do something for yourself.  Get your nails done.  Play a round of golf.  Go see a movie.  Call up a friend and reminisce about old times. Hey, I bet you are feeling better, already aren't you?

            Sometimes you just need to shift your thinking by focusing on the positive things in your life.  Just stop and count your blessings.  "Hey, I am really upset and feeling downcast about this situation, but gosh I have so much to be thankful for."  Then start a little exercise of running through your mind all—well, a lot of the things you are blessed with.  The positive experiences you have had or opportunities that came your way.  This could occupy some time because we all receive new blessings from the Lord each day.  Unfortunately, we just take most of them for granted instead of stopping to give thanks.

            That goes along with the line from the old Bing Crosby song, "When I am worried, and I can't sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep and I fall asleep counting my blessings."  Rest…that's a blessing that will help erase those downcast feelings. 

            Here's another one.  Exercise!  Drat, I would have to bring that one up wouldn't I. 

You don't have to go out and try to "break the four-minute mile."  That was done many years ago anyway (Thank you Roger Bannister).  But, it is a known fact that exercise is good for your health. Start out in small chunks of time and types of exercises.  You'll find that while you are doing those exercises you won't be thinking about those downcast feelings.  Hey, where did those go?

            How about this one---it's straight out of scripture---introduce it into your mind early each day or anytime you are feeling downcast:  "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."  Psalms 118:24. That's one of the first things I do on my morning "prayer walks" each day.  I say "thank you Lord for the gift of another day." BTW, not bragging but I just passed 708 miles of walking (218 walks) in the past 10 months.  Hard to be downcast and exercise at the same time.

            Like music?  Sure, lots of people do.  It is hard to continue feeling downcast and unhappy when listening to upbeat happy music.  You may even find yourself singing along with the songs.

            Often when we feel downcast it is difficult to grab hold of something that will give us instant relief.  Peter said this: "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7. This is not someone who is going to ask what will you do for me in return if I help you.  It's someone who acts out of His love for you---"no strings attached."

            Along those lines here is what Sarah Young ("Jesus Always") writes:

            "When feeling downcast the best remedy is to remember the Lord.  Think about who He is---your God, Savior, Shepherd, the Friend who will never leave you."  I feel better, already don't you?

            Continuing Young writes: "The Lord is fully aware of every circumstance as well as every thought and feeling of yours.  Everything about you is important to Him."  Now that's enough to knock the "downcasted-ness" (just coined a term) out of anyone.

            Here's even better news:  you can tell Him about all the things that are weighing you down and causing you to feel downcast and you will find relief.

            Amen, Brothers and Sisters.  God is good.  All the time.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for always being there for us especially when we are feeling downcast.  Amen!

***note:  Thanks to Cyndi Spivey for sparking many of these ideas.

 (www.cyndispivey.com)