Hello, Altered Stories Ministry Family,

I’m currently staying with a friend, which has given me the opportunity to reflect on a few things. Have you ever known someone who struggles with just feeling down? Or maybe that’s you right now. I get it, sometimes certain times of the month or certain months can really wreck you. I find for me that it is always around the holiday season, but for others it might be different times of the year.

What do you do during these times?

First of all, isolation is not the answer. I know it’s very tempting to isolate and not want to be around others and to just kind of let your thoughts spiral out of control. Of course, you want to do self-care and to find something that helps calm you down or keep you centered on God. I would advise that you get around people that you can trust and communicate with and who support you. We also know that having a good Bible study and prayer is always good, but sometimes you may not be in a state where you can’t receive any of that and you don’t really know how to think. I have been there, too.

This is where the faith of others comes in.

Remember Moses? In Exodus 17:12 he was keeping his arms held up and the Israelites were going to win this battle, but anytime he dropped his arms they started losing. The scripture shares that Miriam and Aaron held his arms up, so that they could win the battle. We all need people around us that can hold our arms up at times to keep us from losing.

So, my advice is to take some time and talk to God, as He is the one that can help you the most. Next, you should get around a couple of people that you trust who can help you get past these moments and when you are not thinking clear or your mood is not in the best place, you can be held up until you can stand on your own two feet.

I hope this helps.

God bless,

Teresa