A new malaise for the new year …

During the height of the pandemic, many people reported struggling with a strong sense of malaise.

“Malaise” is a feeling of discomfort, uneasiness, or general dissatisfaction with life or a situation, often without a specific cause. Of course, during the global pandemic we all knew what was fostering a fairly profound sense of discontentment.

It’s been my observation that many people are starting out the new year with a new bout of malaise.

Absent from the gyms are the hordes of people who usually flood such places — at least for a few weeks — with the intent of losing weight and getting fit. This year, they’re not even pretending.

While many people scoff at, and make an annual ritual of, laughing at people who make resolutions, those many who do set new goals seem unmotivated or unenthusiastic about doing so.

The reasons for a sense of malaise can be many, but let me suggest a couple of things that might be helpful if you’re experiencing this sluggishness in facing a new year.

I think we sometimes forget we have a great treasure to take with us into any new year. It’s kind of like this story about a very wealthy man who didn’t even know his own riches:

William Randolph Hearst was a very wealthy newspaper publisher who had an incredible collection of art. The Hearst mansion in northern California is a testament to his insatiable desire for artistic treasures. On one occasion he learned of some artwork he was determined to obtain. He sent his agent abroad to search for the treasure. After months of investigating, the agent reported that the treasure had been found. To further sweeten the find, Hearst learned that the relic wouldn’t cost him a dime. He already owned it. The rediscovered piece was in Hearst’s warehouse with many other treasures that had likewise never been uncrated.

The desire for acquiring more can sometimes blind us from what we already possess.

What we already possess at the start of any given year is knowing what our purpose is for existing. When we understand that, setting goals for the new year doesn’t have to be a grand act of creativity that fosters a panicked response of procrastination. Instead, we just need an honest self-examination of what we already possess, and then we can set some goals for sharpening our continued pursuit of living out our purpose.

So, let’s revisit what our purpose for existing really is:

Relationship with God. One of the primary purposes described in the Bible is for humans to have a relationship with God. The Bible begins with the creation of humanity in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). This relationship was disrupted by sin (Genesis 3), but throughout the biblical narrative, there is a consistent theme of God seeking to restore this relationship, with his ultimate mission being to reconcile us back to Him. Knowing God, and being in right relationship with Him, is our primary purpose for existing.

Glory of God. Another aspect of our purpose for living often emphasized in scripture is to bring glory to God. Verses like 1 Corinthians 10:31 state, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

Fulfilling God’s will. Throughout the Bible, there is an emphasis on seeking and fulfilling God’s will. This is seen in passages like Proverbs 3:5-6, which instructs us to, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

Service and love. Jesus summarized an aspect of purpose in human life in terms of love and service. In the New Testament, He taught the greatest commandments: to love God with all one’s heart, soul, and mind, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself (Matthew 22:37-40). This emphasis on love and service is also reflected in other passages, such as Galatians 5:13, which says, “For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.”

Purpose in god’s family. The Bible often emphasizes the importance of being one family, adopted sons and daughters of God, with believers being part of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12). This suggests that part of our purpose is to live in fellowship, supporting, encouraging, and building one another up in faith.

Eternal life. The Bible teaches that our earthly existence is not the end. Jesus said in John 3:16, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” For those who believe and have a relationship with God, there is the promise of eternal life, and that promise of such a future is a powerful motivator for how we live today.

Sometimes, when we’ve been sloppy about our purpose for living, or just haven’t had it in the forefront of our minds and desires as we should, a sense of malaise can creep in. That’s because nothing else can meet or fulfill our purpose for living like our real purpose of being created for Jesus:

“… Everything was created through him and for him,” Colossians 1:16b.

Perhaps some self-reflection, with prayer, regarding why God has given you the gift of being alive will help you have a fresh perspective for stepping more joyfully into a new year.

Scotty