Managing My Emotions

“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8

Running has become quite popular these days.  I guess people are realizing more and more how important exercise is to maintain good health.  Running is not my favorite way to work out, but I am beginning to see that it is a great form of exercise.  Recently, my husband, two of his brothers, my two brothers, my sister-in-law and my father-in-law all ran in a race in Arkansas.  To humor myself and to let my son participate, my sister-in-law and I did the one mile fun run, as I pushed one of our sons in our jogging stroller.  

As I watched some serious runners cross the finish line after running a half-marathon, I was impressed.  I mean, that takes a lot of self-discipline and training.  Many of the things that we do in life require discipline and devotion.  While it is not a bad thing to spend our time on these things, I wonder how much time we spend disciplining ourselves when it comes to managing our emotions?

Making Plans

"You can make many plans, but the Lord's purpose will prevail."  Proverbs 19:21

Ever notice how quickly we make plans without asking God first?  No wonder I take on too many things and become frazzled...most of the time I am not taking time to seek the Lord before I make a decision. 

Many times, my "people-pleasing" side comes out in me when someone asks me to do something.  I don't want to let anyone down, so immediately my response is "yes, I'll do it!"  Then, I come home feeling overwhelmed and tired. Then, who gets my leftovers and my not-so-pleasant attitude?  My family and God.  It seems I only come to God when a big decision needs to be made.  But, should we limit God by only coming to Him with the big things in life? 

Right now I am learning to say no to things that I should not take on in this season of my life.  More than that, though, I am learning to ask God first.  Instead of coming to God after I've over-committed, I am learning to come to God first.  It all starts with the little things.  How can we practice coming to God first before we make our plans?

Motherhood

I could not wait to be a mother
This is what I prayed for…yearned for…begged for

Why, then, am I struggling to embrace my calling as a mother?

Sometimes I feel like a failure—like I can’t do anything right

The house is a mess

My children are so very demanding

I snap at my husband and become easily frustrated

And my attitude is not where it should be

I feel like I can’t keep up-like I can’t be the “supermom” I was supposed to be

It seems like so many other people “get it”—why can’t I?

I could blame it on the fact that my child is so strong-willed

Or look for a host of other excuses 

But, the bottom line: I am a mother

I have been given this gift

And I need to cherish it or I will miss out on these fleeting moments

Lord—help me not to compare myself with others

When I look around and compare myself to others,

I will never reach the mark.

Instead, help me to look to You for the way I am supposed to raise my children

To look to You for strength, wisdom, and patience

Because You, Oh Lord, know my children and You know what’s best for them

May I teach them to obey you and may you equip me to train them properly

For they are your children

And I have only been entrusted with them for a little while

I am a mother

This is not an easy task

Help me not to take it lightly

But, also give me the ability to laugh at myself

To enjoy this road I am on

And bring You glory each day

May I change my attitude so that You will shine through me

"In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." 

Matthew 5:16

Negativity

"There is a way to live the big of giving thanks in all things.  It is this: to give thanks in this one small thing.  The moments will add up."

-Ann Voskamp 

Ever notice how quickly negative thoughts slip into our lives?  Even on a gorgeous spring day, we find a way to complain about the weather.  "I wish it were a little cooler today."  "I wish my allergies weren't so bad."  "Why can't there be a breeze today?"  The list goes on...  When there is a lull in a conversation, I find myself saying something negative to keep the conversation going... "I'm so tired today."  "My children have been such a handful lately."  "My house is such a mess." I don't really even have a need for saying these things, they just tend to come to my lips.  Why is this?  Why can't I focus on the positive and let those things come to my mouth first?  

First Place

“If you think of this world as a place intended simply for our happiness, you find it quite intolerable: think of it as a place of training and correction and it’s not so bad.”

C.S. Lewis

Not too long ago, we had a scare with our oldest son.  He began experiencing severe muscular pain and would even wake up in the night screaming out in pain.  So, we did what any parent would do and we took him to the doctor.  They couldn’t find anything wrong with him, so they sent us home.  He still continued with the episodes, and I made the mistake of trying to self-diagnose him by using the Internet. By the time I was done reading all the possibilities, I was scared out of my mind.  I began begging God to heal him and questioning why in the world this would happen to him before we even knew what, if anything, was wrong.  Thankfully, the problem was nothing serious, but throughout this event, I realized my priorities were out of line. 

No More Chances?

"You probably know some disobedient, disrespectful children.  Do they seem like happy campers to you?  No, they do not.  Do you know any obedient children who don't seem like happy campers?  No, you don't.  Obedience and happiness go hand in hand."

-John Rosemond

Consistency.  It's the advice you hear from all the parenting seminars and books.  If you want your child to obey, you have to consistently follow-through, or they won't take you seriously.  Or, they'll end up confused because sometimes you are serious about what you say and other times you are not.  

Intentional Prayers for Our Children

"...when you pray, I will listen."  Jeremiah 29:12

 Our children are entrusted to us for such a short time.  Some days may feel longer than others, but as our children begin to grow, we realize how quickly time passes and how much they change with each passing year.  Instead of rushing through each precious memory, I want to take time to cherish each milestone and think of ways that I can teach my children how to follow Christ. 

Fooling My Kids

"...let them rest in the security of knowing that mom cares enough about them to drop everything else."

I seem to have gotten into a bad habit of trying to fool my kids into thinking they have my undivided attention when I am only giving them partial attention.  But, the thing is: I think they've noticed.  Of course, I can't just sit around and give my children my undivided attention all day long.  Nothing would get done if I did this!  There is laundry to be done, bills to be paid, a dinner to be cooked...the list goes on. But, I've come to realize that when I look back at my day, I haven't devoted much (if any) of my time to JUST them.  Time that is not interrupted with important thoughts or tasks, but time just spent on them.