are you sad, mad or glad?

When it comes to the end of a year and the beginning of another I’m one of those reflective types. I realise not everybody is and that’s ok, we are all different but a little bit of reflection never hurt anyone and I’d argue could help us a lot more than we think.

If you’re not the reflective type however the question often is, ‘how do I do it?’ There’s a myriad of answers to that question but let me offer a simple framework that I’m using this year. It’s based around 3 simple questions, as you think back over the last year, what’s made you glad, what’s made you sad and what’s made you mad.

Now that didn’t hurt did it?!!

The thing with these types of questions is they aren’t necessarily about achievements, goals, outcomes or events but more about the emotions you and I carry maybe as a result of some of those happenings during this past year. Emotions are nothing to be scared of they are part of the human experience. As a person of faith I believe God created us with the full range of emotions and He himself displays that range of emotions from joy to sorrow, delight to anger and everything in between.

So why not take a bit of time out the next few days and ask yourself these 3 simple questions.

What has made me glad?

For me this past year there’s lots that’s made me glad. One thing has been watching my granddaughters grow and the pure unadulterated joy they give to us. Thomas Aquinas once said, ‘joy is one of life’s greater goods’ this is because the more you share it the more you enjoy it.

I’ve also been made glad by seeing God at work this past year. At our church (Lifecentral Church) we’ve seen more people get baptised than in any other year and hearing the stories of life change has made me truly glad. The way our church has rallied at times of difficulty and challenge and gone the extra mile has also made me glad.

When you can identify what’s made you glad what should your response be?

Be grateful.

Maybe you’re not a person of faith so just be grateful anyway it’s good for your soul (and you do have one!) but if you are a person of faith gratitude is not only good for us it is essential for our well-being and a command from God Himself not because He needs our gratitude but because we need it.

What has made me sad?

Lots if I’m truly honest….seeing the ongoing health challenges for so many people that I care about has made me sad. Recognising at the end of the year that this hasn’t been my best year personally has also made me sad. Some of the routines, rhythms and disciplines of my life that have energised me and sharpened me have not been as effective or as present this last year and that’s made me sad. What do I do when I recognise this emotion? What’s our response to sadness?

Be honest.

Sadness isn’t anything to be ashamed of, to deny or try to minimise. As we recognise it, as we embrace it, let it lead us to the places it should lead us to and if you have faith it should lead us to God. After all Jesus felt as we feel, he tasted sadness just as we do and His promise is to bring redemption out of the damaged and the broken.

What has made me mad?

Apart from recent WiFi and home TV issues what else has made me truly mad this year?!! Again the list is a long one….the ongoing wars, conflicts in the world, the escalating division in our communities marked by an ever widening degree of polarisation (one of the words of the year by the way!) has made me mad at times. Some of the decisions leaders have made both politically and in the church has made me at times both mad and sad. So what do I do when I realise some things have made me mad? What’s our response to this emotion?

Be careful.

Righteous anger is a good thing and a godly thing but there’s a fine line here. In Ephesians 4 v.26 NKJV Paul writes, ‘Be angry and do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your wrath nor give place to the devil.’ That word place means opportunity, power or occasion for acting. In other words our anger can provide an opportunity for something bad to happen.

Our mad can lead to bad…so be careful.

As you reflect on this last year I encourage you to use questions like glad, sad and mad but as you do remember this, if you are a person of faith, God has never left you this last year even when you thought He had. He promised to never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13 v.5) and I’m grateful for a book I’m reading at the moment by Nona Jones where she mentions this verse. She says to leave someone is to physically remove yourself but to forsake someone is to emotionally withdraw from them. God promises to do neither.

I find this an incredibly encouraging thought as I reflect on this past year and prepare for the next,  and I hope it helps you too…..happy new year!