By Tanya Jolliffe
In grade school, I spent many Saturday evenings at my grandparents’ house, either for the evening or overnight. Back then, there were only a few channels on the television. On Saturday evening, Hee Haw was a standard. Hee Haw was a variety show featuring country music and humor with the fictional rural “Kornfield Kounty” as the backdrop. There were many funny regular sketch segments, but one of my favorites, for some reason, was “Gloom, Despair, and Agony On Me.”
This sketch was usually performed by four male cast members dressed in hillbilly garb while they held moonshine jugs and emitted misery. The song began with the chorus in a lip-synch style, with each cast member mournfully howling after. Perhaps you remember, but for those that aren’t familiar, the chorus went:
Gloom, despair, and agony on me-e!
Deep dark depression, excessive misery-y!
If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all!
Gloom, despair, and agony on me-e-e!
I haven’t seen Hee Haw or heard that song in decades, but a few weeks ago, I was having a down day, and that song popped into my head. The memory made me smile as I remembered evenings in front of the television with my grandparents, who have also been gone for decades. I was quickly reminded that gloom, despair, and agony are choices. I am in control of where I put my focus. Do I see the cup as half full or half empty? Am I focusing on the gloom, despair, and agony in a situation or finding peace, love, and joy?
Growing in Christ means facing trials and tribulations with grace and guidance from the Holy Spirit. Scripture reminds us of this.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4 NIV).
“These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world” (1 Peter 1: 7 NIV).
Fortunately, the emotions of gloom, despair, and agony also have a counterpart that scripture guides us in. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things, there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV).
Being mindful of what you are aware of, including your thoughts, feelings, and emotions, is important if we are going to make them obedient to Christ. This is a gift we have been given to turn things around. We all have days when we feel like singing down songs that focus on our gloom. Unfortunately, focusing on despair and doom keeps us in sorrow and defeat.
Making a mindful shift of focus to the other perspective of gratitude and gratefulness helps us experience love, joy, and peace. You can do that by singing hopeful songs or reading scripture aloud, such as Psalm 91, which focuses on God’s protective love. As the old saying goes, turn that frown upside down to change your perspective and mood to find joy and strength.
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