We Made It!

It caught my attention.

“We made it through another January. And has it been quite a year!” said yet another internet meme. There’s a bit of humor in that, right? I didn’t laugh.

Seems like almost a year, huh? If it weren’t for the snow cover I saw the entire month, the school days that kept us busy and the constant cold temperatures, one would almost think the past 31 days spanned an entire year. Enough odd and unexpected events have already happened. In just one month.

But we made it! We made it through another January. Up here in the Midwest, the lack of sunshine and the cold temps are by themselves enough to make a mama bear (me) want to hibernate to her den (stay home, cozy up with a favorite blanket and watch movies or read a book – all month long.) But add to it the Christmas let-down, kids going back to school, and (a-hem) mask mandates, restrictions and regulations, and well…

It’s tough for most of us, isn’t it? Each year I head into January knowing it’s going to be like this. I try to get things on the calendar for our family, an extra outing or an extended overnight date, to have events to look forward to. In the past they have included things like a weekend marriage retreat, a family trip to the Mall of America, sledding. Usually the sports schedule naturally takes us out of town for one of the weekends in January for a tournament. A variance from the normal routine is a good distraction and helps the January-time go by more quickly.

But just like everything else from the past 11 months, this time was different. Places were closed, or at the very least had limited capacity or restrictions that made the “fun” less fun. Tournaments have been cancelled. The annual marriage retreat is no longer being held annually.

I could just shrug it all off and say, “Well, we’re used to all this. No big deal.” We’ve had to rearrange or cancel plans for almost a whole year now. We’ve had to pivot and find new ways of doing what have been our comfortable and safe routines. We’ve had disappointment after disappointment. But that’s just it – it has been disappointing. And when they are all stacked up, it’s hard to shrug off and say, “No big deal.”

The Positive Pollyannas out there will tell you this has been the best year of their lives. They love Zoom and working from home, discovering all the new recipes and ordering online. They have looked at the past year and have seen the silver lining in almost every cloudy day and unfortunate circumstance. I disappoint myself when I realize I haven’t been that kind of person.

I realize I’m in good company. When you read through the Psalms, you’ll realize David wasn’t that kind of person either. At least not all the time.

I say to God my Rock,
why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?”
My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”

Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
-Psalm 42:9-11

Nor was his son, Solomon, always the most joyful person on the block. The one who had much wisdom, knowledge, riches and any number of servants to call upon. Yet, he too seemed to have depressive thoughts. We get a taste of it when we read through Ecclesiastes. “Meaningless.” Repeated 30 times in 12 chapters. It seemed that everywhere he looked he saw meaningless tasks and earthly treasures that brought no happiness.

I have seen all the things that are done under the sun;
all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. -Ecclesiastes 1:14

Do these sections resonate with you during this season? Have you had to pivot more times than a professional basketball player in the national championship? Are you exhausted from it all?

You’re in good company. Look around you. Most of us are feeling it too. The best remedy for the anxiety and the burdens too heavy to bear is Jesus. When we turn to Scripture and read God’s promises, we are reminded that the very people who spoke words of heartache and soul distress are the same ones who remind us whose we are and give us hope.

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Psalm 139:8-10, 14

When times are good, be happy;
but when times are bad, consider this:
God has made the one as well as the other.
Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future.
Then I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 7:14, 8:17

Once again we are reminded that God will carry us, and as he does I’ll just be over here praying for more sun. In these darker days, I know that the Son is the light we need most. When I look back, I realize January wasn’t all that bad. My gratitude journal will show that.

Happy February, friends! You made it! You made it through another January. Rather, God carried you.