How to Be OK When You're in a Funk

My favorite jeans are starting to cut into my waist in an uncomfortable way. The grocery order keeps getting delayed when we’re already out of milk. The dog has gotten into the trash again. My kids carry individual sadnesses I can’t fix for them. It’s rainy and cold. My hip aches at night sometimes. People I thought were dependable turn out not to be. I’ve turned out to be not as dependable as I thought I was. My dad is sick. I suddenly need reading glasses for the fine print.

It’s impossible to predict which of these disappointments will have the power to push me into a full-on funk. I have days that feel so full of hope and possibility that I have the juice to face the big stuff with faith and trust. Other days start out already negative, so even good things feel bad. Funks and feelings don’t submit to the scientific method. They often multiply uncertainties and disappointments until the weight of dark clouds feels too heavy for my one set of shoulders to bear.

I have a feeling that the past twelve months have found even those of us with the sunniest dispositions in a funk or two that surprised us. Others of us dip into Funkland on a regular basis. What do you tell a friend who is struggling and can’t shake the dark clouds? What do you tell yourself when life just hurts? You can only go back to what you know. For me, that’s always been enough.

Truths that are rising to the top today:

I know fruit grows out of suffering and makes me a better version of myself. There is something on the other side of this trial I don’t want to miss and a new version of me I can’t afford to not become. James 1:2-4 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (ESV).
I’ve survived 100 percent of my hard days so far. My track record is pretty good and helps me believe I can trust myself to be able to figure out tomorrow’s challenges when they come.
New mercies show up every morning specifically for me. The mercies God delivers are for the things I find impossible to predict, like the amount of juice in my tank and the unknowns I’m afraid of. The mercies come in all different flavors, depending on my needs. Sometimes the mercy plate includes a nap, deeper knowledge of God, and a hug from a friend. Sometimes the plate isn’t a plate but a big bowl full of mint chocolate chip ice cream. God knows.
I’m not alone in Funkland. A great cloud of witnesses have walked through this land before me and found ways to trust God and his faithfulness. These people inspire me and teach me. Merely knowing they’ve been here gives me the courage to put one foot in front of the other.
God sees from the beginning to the end, he’s powerful, and he’s crazy about me. These three truths together add up to so much more than they look like they should. God’s eternal view and resurrection power leave no possibility out of reach for him. Nothing can get past his understanding or come out of left field to surprise him. Nor can anything stop his desire, since the same power he used to raise the dead is at his disposal. When I consider these truths in conjunction with the fact that this all-seeing, powerful God sings over me with the delight of an adoring parent, the disposition of the universe shifts. Nothing can fight that combination of power, knowledge, and love. I’m safe, even when I can’t get out of my funk.
My life is both bigger and smaller than I think. It has big value and purpose because I am a creation of God. I bear his image and have been invited to join him in his work. Every detail of being human is sacred. But he is so much bigger than I am. In comparison, my life is small, and there is relief in that. God is doing the work. All the work. Progress and goodness do not depend on my efforts, nor can they be messed up by me. I’m invited to join his big kingdom work but also encouraged to live a quiet, peaceful life. First Timothy 2:1-3 says, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior” (ESV).

The list of things I know deep down in my soul to be true changes a little with each of my visits to Funkland. The truths that rise to the surface as I listen to God’s voice are directed by his Spirit and collected by his kind hand to be the ones I need. Even here, he does all the work, tuning my ear to hear and curating memories and past lessons into the specific remedy I need. It’s sweet to be under his careful, tending hand.

The sun will come out again. I won’t feel this way forever. God is doing something good, and if the dots aren’t connecting yet, it’s because my eyes aren’t strong enough to see. If I’m still breathing, there’s hope for tomorrow because of the things I already know to be true.

Lori Florida lives a life that is all about her people. She’s convinced that being Mrs. to one and Mommy to eight will be her most significant way to serve Jesus. She wants to use her life to cheer on and coach the women around her. She is on staff with Project Hopeful working to give a hand up to moms in poverty in Ethiopia. You can find her at loriflorida.com.