i made this day just for you
Psalms 118:24 This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. All too often in my daily life I am less than satisfied with outcomes whether it be daily revenue numbers, entertainment, food I eat at restaurants, etc. I have become the victim to what I call, "EPIC DYSPHORIA." The word "epic" typically means superhuman deeds, Heroic, majestic, impressively great or simply put, it is when we experience something at its highest point. The problem with EPIC DYSPHORIA is once we have experienced something at its best, we tend to expect that same level each time thereafter.
Epic Dysphoria has a non-forgiving rating scale. Most rating scales have a increment measurement as you move along the scale. For example, I could rate the best smoked brisket at my favorite BBQ joint on a scale of one to five, five being the best. I have even experienced level six several times which is epic. Once I experience epic, my epic dysphoria will consider anything lower than a six to be unsatisfactory even if it is a five (best). Even if at only a four (very satisfied), I am still unsatisfied because of Epic Dysphoria.
It seems that I suffer from epic dysphoria in many aspects of my life. One example is daily sales at my store, Grand Haven Beach Co. At the start of a business day, I check to see what we did in sales the week before and the year before on the same exact day. Those numbers become expectations for the day at hand. If those previous daily figures were epic, then today would naturally be epic. Anything less won't be good enough even though the actual numbers were great.
I am allowing epic dysphoria to set myself up for disappointment in most everything that I experience. The smoked brisket that I am eating is not epic. The weather on my vacation in the Florida Keys is not epic. The list goes on. Although the smoke brisket is not epic this time, it is still amazing and instead of enjoying it, I am choosing to feel very unsatisfied. Although the weather in the Florida Keys on my last trip in February was not as epic as it had been in the past, it was still amazing, and way better than the weather was back in Michigan. Epic dysphoria is robbing me of any level of enjoyment.
I have the Psalms 118:24 interpretation at home on a wood block over my fireplace. Whether I see it at home or at the store, it provides a constant reminder that I am unsatisfied with things that I should be very satisfied with because of epic dysphoria. It provides constant reminder that being dissatisfied is a result of not being thankful for what I do have. When I read the words, "this is the day that the Lord hath made,” I imagine God speaking directly to me saying, "I made this day just for you." These words are a wakeup call to me. I mean...who am I to question the day that God made just for me? What does the dissatisfaction in my heart say about my trust in God? How frustrating am I to God who provides the most epic moments in my life?
The Psalm goes on to say, "rejoice," which is a calling or an effort to bring awareness to the joy that is about to come my way. And then be "glad in it" or experience the joy that God has planned in this day. I must not let the dissatisfaction for the things that I did not receive distract my mind from the epic things that God has planned for this day. My solution to epic dysphoria is to remind myself that God has plans for my day, and His plans are epic. So, when I see the wood block at home or the talking stick on the wall at the store, I strive to let go of my plans and focus on His. I just let go and stop worrying. I open myself up to what I have been missing around me. When I do that, I am allowing myself to become aware of the joy that His plans are bringing. Ultimately, I am allowing myself to be glad and that is EPIC!!! |