To The One Feeling Kinda Bleh: Part 1
You know that feeling that really has no other words to describe it other than just plain down BLEH? When you feel rather empty, unmotivated, and passionless but you can’t quite pinpoint why? When people ask you what’s wrong and literally the best you can come up with is BLEH? Trust me friend, I’ve been there. I know what that feels like. I’ve had that feeling for months now thanks to some serious senior-year-student-teaching-plus-who-knows-what-else-burnout, but I finally got tired of it. Do I have it all figured out to the point where “bleh” describes the exact opposite of my life? Absolutely not! I’ve still got a long way to go yet before that happens, but here’s what I’ve learned so far.
First of all, listen to this song, ‘Called Me Higher’ by All Sons and Daughters. Seriously. Like right now. Not only is it a super good song but I’m also going to mention it some so it will help if you’ve heard it.
Now, if you’ve read some of my previous posts (like from a couple months ago) you may remember me mentioning an ‘Armor of God Bible Study’ by Priscilla Shirer that my church was doing. Anyway, one of my favorite quotes from that whole study (that I took the time to underline and write in big fancy letters in the margins and is now written across my mirror) was this- “Through prayer you CAN get your want-to back.” That quote popped into my head and I realized that if I wanted to have any hope of getting out of this cycle of bleh, I was going to have to start praying and praying HARD.
Also, did you notice that “CAN” in all caps?! That’s not saying that through prayer you might get your want-to back or you could get your want-to back. No. That’s saying you CAN get your want-to back. That’s assurance that if you want to kick that bleh feeling to the curb and get your passion and motivation back in life, prayer is your first and most important step.
Around that same time was when I came across ‘Called Me Higher’. It actually had been on one of my Spotify playlists for awhile but I hadn’t really listened to the words before. When I did though, it felt like a smack in the face. “I could just sit/I could just sit and wait for all Your goodness/Hope to feel Your presence/And I could just stay/I could just stay right where I am and hope to feel You/Hope to feel something again…But You have called me higher/You have called me deeper/And I’ll go where You will lead me Lord”
There I sat, with that empty bleh feeling inside, but I just put up with it. I allowed myself to keep feeling that because I was stuck in a rut and couldn’t muster up enough strength to pull myself out. I kept waiting for it to magically go away and fix itself…only it wasn’t. But then it hit me, God was –and still is- calling me to so much more than that!
Take a minute to let that sink in. GOD DIDN’T CREATE YOU FOR BLEH! He has called you HIGHER! He created you with PURPOSE. He designed you to bring Him glory. He desires for you to live a life FULL OF PASSION for Him. He has a plan that includes you. He wants to use you. And as you follow Him, let you experience all the many blessings He has to offer. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.” ~Ephesians 2:10
That’s your calling and that calling is sooo much higher than “bleh.”
So I decided then and there that I was done living in the land of bleh because I was called to a much higher purpose in life. In the words of Dave Ramsey, I decided to “run with gazelle intensity” towards that higher calling, towards the Lord. (I know, I know, Dave was talking about money but the illustration of running with the intensity of a gazelle being chased by a lion can still apply)
Anyway, here’s my point. To the one who’s feeling kinda bleh: It doesn’t much matter where you’re feeling bleh, whether that’s at work, in school, with your family or friends, or your relationship with the Lord, you are CALLED HIGHER. So take a stand and start praying for your want-to back. Maybe you’re feeling like you don’t even want to pray. DO IT ANYWAY! I’m not kidding. Even if you don’t want to, it may be the very last thing you want to do right now, but do it anyway. When you start praying, you are bringing God and all His supernatural power right smack dab into the middle of your situation. He is the one with the power to change your heart and pull you out from bleh. He will give you a desire for Him, a yearning for more prayer. Prayer is your most powerful weapon. Use it.
The biggest area of bleh for me was my relationship with the Lord and again, I don’t have it all figured out, but things are better than they were before so I wanted to share some of what I learned with you. For that story, keep an eye out for Part 2.
If any of this sounds like you (or even if it doesn’t) here is something great to listen to (or watch). The Porch, a young adult ministry in Dallas recently did a series called Self Care and it was SOOO GOOD! Many of the points they make tie right into getting out of this feeling of bleh. They have a podcast on Spotify or here is the link to the videos.
