Have You Had a Pity Party Lately?
Jim and I were sitting and discussing some things one morning and the statement was made, “I don’t know why we would ever have a pity party.”
You know what that is, don’t you? A session (party) in which you feel sorry for yourself. It usually involves whining and a facial expression that is either sad or mad. Maybe you didn’t get the trophy you wanted, the raise you thought you deserved, the grade you worked hard for, the family you wish you had, or the recognition you should have had. Maybe it’s your health that isn’t great and you forget about all the good days you have had. They fall to the bottom and only the long days of feeling bad rise to the top and consume your every hour. Possibly it’s your financial situation and you aren’t able to have or do as much as someone else you know.
It’s easy to have a pity party at times like these. I’m sad to say that Jim and I have had our share of pity parties, but I have an idea that we are not alone in this. Most of us at one time or another have fallen prey to the idea that nothing is going right in our lives. The devil works that way, you know. He loves to see us discouraged and feeling sorry for ourselves.
And then along comes a person or persons who tells you how much they admire you or your family, or how you have encouraged them in life. Maybe they compliment your family and tell you they wish they could have a family like that. Possibly your health begins to improve and the party of pity is over. I would say that all of us have experienced this.
Is it okay to have a pity party? I would have to say that I think it may be because we are all human. God created us with emotions, and certainly sadness, loneliness, and emotional pain are part of those emotions.
However, what is not okay is to remain at the “party” for an extended period of time. You see, we always have help. We have a loving Father, an older Brother, and a Comforter who are always there to help us in times of discouragement. Along with this, we have brothers and sisters in Christ who are willing to help us when we are troubled.
In our sunroom at home, we have a statue of a frog. It was a gift to me from the sister of one of our sweet ladies at church who passed away. That sister would always sign everything with F.R.O.G. At the bottom of my statue it reads “Fully Rely On God.” When I’m tempted to have a pity party, I can look at that little frog and remember that I’m not alone – I can fully rely on God.
Or maybe I can remember the words of the wise man of old, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
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AUTHOR: Donna Faughn
