Up Days and Down Days…

The moods of people, encouragement and discouragement, the ups and downs are all cause for concern. All of us have high and low points in life, and knowing this we should not become too discouraged merely because we are discouraged. “One who expects completely to escape low moods is asking the impossible….” said Dr. Fosdick. “Like the weather, [life] is essentially variable…[and] a healthy person believes in the validity of his high hours even when he is having a low one.” There was never any significant accomplishment of any kind that did not come with overcoming; nor has anyone ever found a way to live an always level, even life. The up days and the down days, the happiness, the heartaches, and even the deep depressions are all part of the changing pattern. And if we permit moods to conquer us, we can’t be happy, because we feel defeated. What is called for is faith, courage, confidence. Rightness of conduct gives confidence. Sincere prayerfulness gives confidence. Useful work gives confidence. Honest relationships with others give confidence⎯not having to explain, not having to avoid, being fair in facing facts. Faith is a divine plan and pattern and a willingness to find it and fit into it⎯these give confidence. “Do not avoid, but seek the great, deep, simple things of faith,” said Philips Brooks. “In all your personal life,…it is more thoroughness and depth that you need in order to get…peace…You must be thankful that life is great and not little”⎯and have faith that even on t he most depressed and disappointing days you can find the light that will lead you out again from the low points of life, remembering that all of us have our difficult days. “While each of us, therefore, has depressed hours, none of us needs to be a depressed person.”