In the last 3 weeks I have talked with what feels like a TON of people that are struggling with feeling knocked on their rear, flat out, full on depressed than I think I ever have at Christmas. I’m talking about can’t get out of bed, feeling totally unmotivated, full of worry and stress and fear kind of lose your mind, DEPRESSION.

Everyone knows that Christmas is a time of year when people struggle with depression more than any other. This is not news. But I’ve got a theory that it’s actually something much deeper…

I think it’s maybe more accurate to say that Christmas is a giant emotional amplifier. Whatever is running around in your heart going into the season will be magnified, amplified and super-sized as the month of December marches on.

Mild depression turns severe. Light anxiety turns into full blown worry. Stress turns into panic. Concern turns into worry. Have you ever noticed this? Now, the opposite can also be true – contentment can turn into joy. Being centered in Jesus can lead to peace. Feeling forgiven can lead to incredible acts of grace and mercy. But Christmas often will take whatever is running around in your heart and turn up the volume on it for better or for worse to the point that it can drown out all other noises and voices.

So be mindful and watchful for what direction your heart is headed the next couple weeks. It’s worth listening to whatever the volume is being turned up on – it can tell you a lot about what’s been going on in your heart. And if you find yourself struggling with depression, anxiety, worry or fear, etc. name it! What’s that about? where’s it coming from? Is there something here that I need to surrender to Jesus and that I’m not trusting him with? Listening to what’s loudest in your heart will allow you to more actively mix the sound – turn volumes up and down in your heart – so that the right voices end up being the loudest.