Happy New Year, everyone!!!

Peter 5:7… “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

I want to touch on something that a lot of us may deal with this time of year: the depression, anxiety, feelings of hopelessness.

I deal with some depression during the holidays. Growing up, Christmas was a big deal in my family. My parents were all about the cooking, gatherings, decorating, etc. But my family were not Christians, so I didn’t know the real reason for celebrating Christmas.

When my husband and I started going to church I learned the true meaning of Christmas. I had missed so much. But I can’t go back and change that… I can only change things moving forward.

Now, let’s talk about the reason for the title of this blog. The holidays tear me up. Mainly because of not having my parents or grandparents around anymore. It is truly hard for me to bare it and think about them (sigh).

But I know I cannot let this take over. I have to have my cry or meltdown and then move on. If we aren’t careful we can spiral out of control. Sometimes just talking to a friend, family member, pastor or whoever you feel the most comfortable talking to helps. You might just need someone to listen. And that’s ok. We all deal with this in different ways. And this can be applied to daily issues, too.

We can’t let the enemy take over our lives and keep us in a dark hole. We need to fight it with all we have.

Psalm 34:17-18: “The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”

God doesn’t want us to deal with this on our own. He wants us to go to Him. He is there for us in everything.

Psalms 32:8: The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”

I hope this will inspire someone today.

Be a blessing to someone…and may your cup never run empty. ☕️

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Lou Ann Virden is the author of the blog Farmhouse, Coffee and Jesus. She is very active in her church. She volunteers in the food pantry, usher/greeter team, and cleaning crew. She is on the prayer team, is over the sound room team, and she writes the newsletter for her church. Lou Ann and her husband Donnie will be relaunching The Refuge 180 Evangelism Ministry. They have been married for over 40 years. They live on her husband’s family farm with their dog Hunter. In the summer they are busy canning what they harvest from their garden. Her hobbies include going to the beach, reading, camping, and serving however she can. She hopes that her blogs inspires someone that might be dealing with a similar situation.