Attitude
I'm not going to try to make it seem like I have it under control. I am under pressure and stress with the best of them. It is hard getting out of bed early to get work started. And the impact I want so badly to have on my boys is always stifled when I start to get frustrated. I feel overwhelmed with work, and raising kids, and cleaning the house. I want to be a better friend. I want to be a good wife. I feel a lot of pressure that I have no doubt most of us feel at one time or another. I want to be a blessing to others and reveal God's glory, but there are so many times that I fail, thereby adding more pressure. And it can unravel at times.
Do you ever ask where God is in the midst of it? Like God, if you are here, why am I so stressed? Why do I fail?
He has been ministering to me about this a lot lately. It started as I was reading through 1Peter where he talks about trials. In 1Peter 4:12, he says: "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you"
I love the way he says it. I almost can hear him. "Girl, please! What is WRONG with you?"
I have days where I am shocked at things I have to do. Like laundry, or grocery shopping. Or dealing with finances, or a tiff with Jon. I am sure you can relate. It is because I am a product of our culture. We expect things to go our way. Sometimes I get into a rut of feeling like the world is crashing down over milk being spilled at dinner. Great. Not only have I been cleaning up messes all day, but I now am going to spend how long cleaning the milk, then do the dishes, then give baths, and it's not going to be another hour and a half before I can have a moment to relax.
I love how Peter says it: "Dear friends, do not be surprised...as though something strange is happening to you."
I know that he was talking about persecution. But I believe persecution comes in so many different ways. All if it is stemmed from work of the enemy. And whether I am dying for my faith, or living day to day here at my house, Satan wants no part in my getting closer to God. And if he can get my attention through a cup spilling off the table at dinner, he will. (Granted, I am not implying that Satan throws cups off dinner tables; I mean he has a way of using those circumstances to distract us away from God's love.)
I've been thinking a lot lately about this question: how to defeat the stress that comes. I WANT to enjoy my days. I WANT to glorify him. But how can I get out of my own head and conquer that feeling of stress and pressure? I know God tells us to have faith. He tells us to lie down in His pasture and we will have peace beyond measure. But what does that look like?
I believe it all has to do with attitude. It's a changing of the mind.
Here's an example:
I have been challenging myself to get up way earlier than I need to lately. This way, I can get my quiet time in and hopefully start work before the kids wake up. By the time the sun comes up, I want to have enough done so that I can enjoy more of my day. The days that this happens are always so much more productive.
But here's the thing: do you know what it's like to wake up before you have to? And it's cold? And your bed is so warm. It's HARD. When I walk in my slippers and sweats and messy hair down the hallway in the morning, I'm mad at God. Unhappy. I'm a martyr. I feel like telling God, "see how awesome I am? God, hello? I am getting up so early for you. You should make me have a really good day."
One morning in particular, I was having such a conversation with God, when suddenly the words of Peter echoed in my mind: "As if something strange is happening to you."
It rang over and over. "Lindsay," He said, "don't act as if you are surprised at this. Change your attitude. Come to me with a humble heart."
And it has been clicking. (I say this, because I often forget). That God works when we turn our minds toward Him. It's our attitude and our words that He can use to change us.
If I get saved from death and offered the gift of eternity with a few words, what kind of a difference would a few more make to change my heart?
Peter tells us after he tells us not to be surprised at trials, to rejoice. And when I don't feel like rejoicing, I start with refocusing my thoughts on things I think I might be thankful for. When I don't feel like being thankful for waking up in the morning, I say I am. I tell Him enough times, and usually, I start to believe myself.
Thank you, Lord for this day! Thank you for this opportunity! Thank you for coffee. Thank you for this hallway! Thank you for my slippers! Thank you for those sleeping boys. Thank you for sleep! Thank you that it's not easy. Thank you for teaching me through it. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to love my boys when they spill. Thank you for showing me what it means to sacrifice. Thank you for this fit Harrison is throwing! I am reminded, Lord in this moment that I have a lot of praying to do for this little boy. Thank you for this work load, I turn it over to you, Lord and I know you will help me through it. Thank you for my messy house. I pray that as I clean it again, you would help me to appreciate the opportunity I have to restore it back to a comfortable home. I pray for each toy that I pick up; that somehow it would bring you glory, or teach my boys more about you. I pray that the floors I clean would bless those who walk on them.
And as I praise Him, my attitude is changed. I am learning to use every opportunity to praise Him. To ask for His glory there. And it can change with a few words spoken.
But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And,
Do you ever ask where God is in the midst of it? Like God, if you are here, why am I so stressed? Why do I fail?
He has been ministering to me about this a lot lately. It started as I was reading through 1Peter where he talks about trials. In 1Peter 4:12, he says: "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you"
I love the way he says it. I almost can hear him. "Girl, please! What is WRONG with you?"
I have days where I am shocked at things I have to do. Like laundry, or grocery shopping. Or dealing with finances, or a tiff with Jon. I am sure you can relate. It is because I am a product of our culture. We expect things to go our way. Sometimes I get into a rut of feeling like the world is crashing down over milk being spilled at dinner. Great. Not only have I been cleaning up messes all day, but I now am going to spend how long cleaning the milk, then do the dishes, then give baths, and it's not going to be another hour and a half before I can have a moment to relax.
I love how Peter says it: "Dear friends, do not be surprised...as though something strange is happening to you."
I know that he was talking about persecution. But I believe persecution comes in so many different ways. All if it is stemmed from work of the enemy. And whether I am dying for my faith, or living day to day here at my house, Satan wants no part in my getting closer to God. And if he can get my attention through a cup spilling off the table at dinner, he will. (Granted, I am not implying that Satan throws cups off dinner tables; I mean he has a way of using those circumstances to distract us away from God's love.)
I've been thinking a lot lately about this question: how to defeat the stress that comes. I WANT to enjoy my days. I WANT to glorify him. But how can I get out of my own head and conquer that feeling of stress and pressure? I know God tells us to have faith. He tells us to lie down in His pasture and we will have peace beyond measure. But what does that look like?
I believe it all has to do with attitude. It's a changing of the mind.
Here's an example:
I have been challenging myself to get up way earlier than I need to lately. This way, I can get my quiet time in and hopefully start work before the kids wake up. By the time the sun comes up, I want to have enough done so that I can enjoy more of my day. The days that this happens are always so much more productive.
But here's the thing: do you know what it's like to wake up before you have to? And it's cold? And your bed is so warm. It's HARD. When I walk in my slippers and sweats and messy hair down the hallway in the morning, I'm mad at God. Unhappy. I'm a martyr. I feel like telling God, "see how awesome I am? God, hello? I am getting up so early for you. You should make me have a really good day."
One morning in particular, I was having such a conversation with God, when suddenly the words of Peter echoed in my mind: "As if something strange is happening to you."
It rang over and over. "Lindsay," He said, "don't act as if you are surprised at this. Change your attitude. Come to me with a humble heart."
And it has been clicking. (I say this, because I often forget). That God works when we turn our minds toward Him. It's our attitude and our words that He can use to change us.
If I get saved from death and offered the gift of eternity with a few words, what kind of a difference would a few more make to change my heart?
Peter tells us after he tells us not to be surprised at trials, to rejoice. And when I don't feel like rejoicing, I start with refocusing my thoughts on things I think I might be thankful for. When I don't feel like being thankful for waking up in the morning, I say I am. I tell Him enough times, and usually, I start to believe myself.
Thank you, Lord for this day! Thank you for this opportunity! Thank you for coffee. Thank you for this hallway! Thank you for my slippers! Thank you for those sleeping boys. Thank you for sleep! Thank you that it's not easy. Thank you for teaching me through it. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to love my boys when they spill. Thank you for showing me what it means to sacrifice. Thank you for this fit Harrison is throwing! I am reminded, Lord in this moment that I have a lot of praying to do for this little boy. Thank you for this work load, I turn it over to you, Lord and I know you will help me through it. Thank you for my messy house. I pray that as I clean it again, you would help me to appreciate the opportunity I have to restore it back to a comfortable home. I pray for each toy that I pick up; that somehow it would bring you glory, or teach my boys more about you. I pray that the floors I clean would bless those who walk on them.
And as I praise Him, my attitude is changed. I am learning to use every opportunity to praise Him. To ask for His glory there. And it can change with a few words spoken.
But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And,
19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. 1Peter 4:13-19
Love love love this!!! So incredibly true...all of it!! Love your heart and attitude and honesty and YOU!!! p.s. Sorry I haven't had a chance to call you back until right now and I'm assuming you're asleep! I will call you soon!!
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