Getting over the Post Christmas Blues

What does Ezekiel’s vision of God have to do with Post Christmas Stress?

Are you feeling a little blue after the Christmas hustle and bustle? You are not alone.

According to experts the "saddest week of the year" is the third week of January. January is the month we know the bills are starting to come in from our pre christmas shopping sprees. January typically in the midwest is dreary, dark, and grey. There can be lots of snow which is fun for the kids but not so fun for driving adults. January is long. What is there to look forward to? Valentines Day which is oh yeah can be another depressing holiday if you are single.

 What can we do with this predicament? I’m going to give you three simple options. Don’t try to do them all. Don’t try to jump right in. First just give yourself some grace. We are all in this fishbowl feeling of post-Christmas sadness. God is still on the thrown!

 “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?” Psalm 56:3-4

I think many of us are afraid. We are afraid it's a new year and we might not meet all the benchmarks we so boldly set out to do in December. It’s a new year which can be exciting but also heavy. 

So how do we put our trust in the Lord that everything will be okay? Maybe you are struggling now with finances. Maybe your marriage had some fights over the holidays. The kids were upset. Maybe your expectations weren’t met.

How to Get Over the Post-Christmas Blues 

1. Whatever our challenge is, we can learn best how to deal with it from Ezekiel. His name literally means “God is strong.” or “God strengthens”. This very meaning sums up what the book of Ezekiel is about. 

We as children (we are all children of God) must learn to obey God. But we have a choice! God gave us free will. We can choose to turn towards him or away from him. When things are going well it's easy to praise the Lord. But when crap hits the fan, we often turn to other things. I do this, i might distract myself with shopping, or focusing on material wants or desires. It is not easy to just turn to the Lord and say, “I am suffering in my marriage but I praise you OH GOD. You are so good.” 

Ezekiel chose to obey God. He was chosen by God to be prophet. He was also a Jewish street preacher. He was born around 622 BCE from a priestly lineage. He was a priest who also was a mover and shaker. And he was probably called crazy in his day. Ezekiel was a prophet. That means the Lord gave him spiritual visions to help show his people the true Glory of God. Ezekiel did whatever crazy thing the Lord said to do.

His vision:

 The Lion- strength/God

The ox- service

The man- intelligence

The eagle- divinity. (belonging to God)

 Some say the four represent the four gospels: Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John. 

Then there is a wheel intersecting a wheel. And all I think that that refers to God’s ability to move anywhere, God is present everywhere and he is not under the realm of time. He is above Time and he is all knowing.

 Now if I were Ezekiel and I had a dream about two wheels intersecting I wonder if I would be able to metaphorically get that. Do you ever have a dream that won’t leave you and you ask the Lord, what does that mean?

Sometimes if that happens you just need to share it and see what your friend or spouse thinks. 

We have to be like Ezekiel when we are facing some challenging times. 

 2. We have to connect. We have to be willing to share our dreams and our visions with other people we trust. I know that I don’t have it all figured out! But I know through the power of connection with others I can draw closer to God, his vision for me ,and ultimately his solution to the problem I'm facing.

3. Invest in Yourself. We just got a bunch of crap from Christmas. We need to take ten minutes to declutter our lives. Physically and emotionally. What can you get rid of? What can you let go of? What can you say no to? That last one is huge. Saying no to things that God is not calling you to do. Then we can start to add in the real things that will make a difference in our lives. Meaningful relationships. Healthy meals. Walks with friends. Making investments in yourself never costs a lot of money. It's more about the time you spend on yourself. It's okay to ask the Lord what He wants for you. Then go and get it!

For now, you can join the Pace of Peace program for just $7 a month! Get connected with other women and find your tribe that will walk alongside you virtually as you make goals and meet them. Invest in the gift of fellowship!

https://melissaschultzministries.com/join-pace-of-peace/

In the end, no one really wants another iphone for Christmas. What we want is connection with others. We want to find meaning in our lives. How we do that is through the Lord. His vision for us supersedes all selfish desires. In the end, whatever junk we are putting in to fill the void of purpose will never be enough. Food will never be enough. Material things will never be enough. A new car is not going to fix your marriage. Turning to the Lord will. 

 Jennie Allen's Book

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