Focus Friday: Let's Focus on What's Really Going On

I was distressed for most of today. I felt sluggish and tired when I exercised this morning. After I showered and ate breakfast I took a nap for about an hour. I couldn't seem to get enough energy to get much of anything done around the house. I felt kind of foggy and couldn't concentrate. When Gary and I went to Waverly I dozed off in the car.

While all of this was going on, I started getting in a really down mood. You see, I decided to go back on my old medication for depression because the new one had me bouncing up and down emotionally a little too much. I talked to my doctor and asked about going back on the old med. I've been on it for a couple of weeks now, and today upset me because I thought I was going to have to try something different again. I didn't remember being so tired when I was on it before, but I figured it was just the medicine.

Shoot! Here we go again. I don't want to try something new! I was having all kinds of negative conversations in my head.

Then Gary asked me how I slept last night. "I didn't hear you snore at all," he commented. A light went on as I remembered that I had taken a Zyrtec before bed last night in hopes that it would keep me from snoring and bothering my poor hubby.

"I bet that's why I've been tired all day!" I exclaimed. What a relief. Hopefully I'll get my bearings back after it gets out of my system.

Don't we do that sometimes in other areas of life? 

Someone makes a careless comment or seems to ignore us and we jump to all sorts of conclusions. They don't like me. They're so stuck up. I must have done something to offend them. Our minds can tell us all kinds of things about why someone does the things they do.

Many times, what's really going on has nothing to do with us at all. Maybe the other person is having a terrible day and doesn't think about what they're saying. Maybe they don't see us when we think they're ignoring us.

We can look at the political scene or hear news of tragedies in our country and around the world and we get depressed because it seems so hopeless and scary.

What's really going on is that God is in control. We will never understand why He allows unthinkable things to happen in this world, but we can still trust Him.

We have to look past our circumstances to figure out what's really going on. God will help us discern where we might need to change our thoughts or actions and where we may need to show grace to someone else even if they have hurt us. 

Forgive me if none of this makes sense this week. My brain is still a bit foggy. I'm going to bed soon. Without Zyrtec. Hopefully poor Gary doesn't have to endure too much snoring tonight.

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." (1 Peter 4:8 NIV)

Do you get upset by circumstances? How can focusing on God help you to see what's really going on and change your actions or attitude about certain situations?