"Holy Hormones!" (post #1)

Ok, here we go! I hope you will take all this with the humor in which it is intended. These are serious thoughts sprinkled with comic relief! Let’s take a good look at the issues we battle, the lies Satan tells us, and the temptations we face to just throw in the towel…or better yet to just sit in the middle of the floor in tears with the towel over our heads! :)

First, let’s get one thing straight: Don’t believe the lie that because you’re a woman there is something wrong with you. Quite the opposite! You are the crowning jewel of all creation. Once God made woman He saw no need to create anything else! His masterpiece was complete.

I am going to be coming at this predominately from where I am in life; however, from our preteen years until our last days, we all fight our own hormonal battles. This series can apply to you regardless of your stage in the journey.

Now, let’s look at the widely accepted "Female Excuse." In Bible times, one week a month the women would move into seclusion…nowadays (for ladies who have not yet had the change of life), we’re either about to start, in the middle of, or recovering from. We only have one good week a month! And during our one good week we want to know why everyone else is so rude to us. Well, sisters, it’s because we ticked them off the last 3 weeks all in the name of hormonal imbalance!

**Now, I am not saying that there is never a physiological reason behind your struggles. I myself battled depression for many years and have no doubt that there was a chemical imbalance at play…but science has proven time and again that until you get your mind focused and on the right track, all the medicine in the world  cannot make you whole again.

 

So where did this session come from? About two and a half years ago, Tim and I sadly lost our second baby when I was about 2 and a half months pregnant. One day during that pregnancy I was talking to my mom and I said, “You know, I get this stuff about how the Bible tells us to conduct ourselves, but the Bible doesn’t say anything about what to do when you’re hormonal!” First I thought…well Jesus was a man…He didn’t have to deal with all this! But then I thought that is probably good, because He would have changed His mind a million times about whether or not to go to the cross! But all joking aside, I know God well enough to know that He never leaves us hanging. So I began to investigate...And these are my findings…I hope you will have an open mind and really put some effort into taking these things in….

 

More coming soon. Please share this series with the ladies in your life who could use a good laugh and a little encouragement from the Word that our God is in control even when we are losing it! J

Losing it!

Ever feel like you are losing it?! The walls are closing in. It’s like you're drowning in a sea of exhaustion. Like you could fall apart at any minute, and it is all you can do to keep at bay the tears that continually brim your eyes? No? Anyone?

Trust me…It’s not always Hunky-dory Holiness around here! J In fact, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week were particularly rough for me….and for my family! I’ve talked to enough “sisters” to know that I am not alone in this.  Hormones and emotions and the sheer exhaustion of our calling can really zap us.

Am I on top of all this? Goodness no! I mess it up monthly! But I’m so much better than I used to be, and with the help of the Holy Spirit I will continue to grow in this area. I must accept it as an area I’ll always have to fight and do so in the name of the Lord!

As women, we must believe God is on our side, and that He designed us with all these emotions and hormones for His glory! I know, seriously? But His ways are higher than ours!

I am about to start a series I call “Holy Hormones!” J From our preteen years until our last days, we all fight our own hormonal battles. This series can apply to you regardless of your stage in the journey. I hope you will spread the word and tune in yourself. I pray the Lord will use the things He has taught and is still teaching me about submitting to Him in mind, body, spirit and hormones!

Until next time here is a thought…

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].” Psalm 91:1

This does not necessarily mean that our emotions will never be disturbed if we are continually dwelling in Him, but rather that we can have an inner peace in the midst of swirling thoughts, emotions and moods. Even if our head is spinning, our spirit can still be grounding on the Rock! Never, never, never give up your own daily time with the Lord. Fight for it! Plan around it. Neglecting it is like trying to live without breathing!  It can’t be done. You cannot thrive or even survive spiritually without drawing nourishment from Him and His Word! If this means keeping a Bible in your bathroom and locking the door to get 30 seconds then do it! This is war!

Look for the “Holy Hormones!” series to start next week. Please tell your friends!

A Word on Discipline: How to distinguish between "foolishness" and "childishness."

How do you know? Ever witnessed your little bundle of joy make a less than stellar decision that stops you in your tracks and makes you ask yourself, "Should I punish that?" Boy, have I been there! Especially when my kids were younger. In fact, during the toddler years I frequently found myself just staring at them blankly and saying, "I really don't know what to do with that. On the one hand, that was a terrible choice and quite frankly really embarrassed me in front of all the moms in the checkout line. On the other hand, she's three! Is that part of being three and an area to extend grace, or do I need to jump on this before it becomes a larger problem and the foolishness bound up in her heart begins to wreak havoc on our home and destroy her future?!" Ok, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but you get where I'm coming from. 

The following (written in the summer of 2013) was the result of the Lord speaking to my desperate, exhausted mommy heart as I pushed my then 1 and 3 year olds across the hot blacktop with a cart full of groceries, and stared with dumbfounded wonder

at my adorable, curly haired girl who was, at that moment, making me want to pull every last one of my own blond locks right out of my head! 

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Last year Tim and I took a wonderful parenting class at our church. The point was made that when it comes to disciplining your young children you must first determine whether the offense falls under foolishness or childishness. Foolishness being a definite sin that requires immediate and firm correction. Childishness being an action that springs from the immaturity of their little minds and hearts that, while possibly inappropriate, really is just a simple lesson they have yet to grasp and need to be gently instructed on. Could be classified as "silly." (I guess in a sense you could say disobedience vs. silliness.)

I know there is always a cloud of debate surrounding words like punishment, discipline and correction. For our purposes "correction" is the giving of guidance and the changing of course (teaching the proper way), while "discipline" is the handing out of a consequence to make clear that the action/choice was not acceptable. 

Over the past few months I have found myself struggling with distinguishing between foolishness and childishness. I've become concerned that I may have been missing some opportunities for foundational Biblical correction so important in shaping Mikaela's young life. (At 14 months, nearly all of Holden's flubs are childishness. On occasion, he gets that glint in his eye, and I know he knows better. At this point a firm "No" and a swat is sufficient, since he does not yet grasp the deeper Biblical truths I am trying to impart! :) But he's getting there!! :) )

Now, let me first say that I LOVE my babies, and being Mommy is the greatest privilege I've ever had! That being said...I'm not a "Kid Person" in general. I'm going to assume I am not alone in this. :) I've never been one to gravitate towards kids. Heck, I was more likely to run the other way! I always knew I wanted my own, but never had the urge to be around someone else's. So obviously I am not called to children's ministry! Praise God there are those with that gifting who are making a powerful impact on our world's future!  All this being said, I have a very low tolerance for "childishness," so what may be a simple childish act could easily hit me as a much greater offense than it really is. For this reason I have struggled with the distinction.

So to get to the point! :) I have spent much time talking with Tim and praying about this issue. On Tuesday I was walking through the grocery parking lot, and the Lord gave me what I think is a great parenting tip..."When you are trying to determine if an action warrants discipline ask yourself, "Would the Lord be pleased with this behavior?"' Was the action in line with God's desire for how we live our lives? Did the action show love as Christ has commanded us to do? If the answer is "no," and if this is a principle that your child already knows, then I would say, yes, discipline is called for.

Please note the part about your child already knowing the Biblical principle in play. A child cannot obey a rule they've never been taught, regardless of how obvious we think it should be! "Don't put the toy in the toilet....don't eat the dog's food...don't put your hands in your dirty diaper...." You get my point. 

However, if an action unquestionably goes against a line you have clearly drawn then, yes, discipline is in order. But when you find yourself in that moment of limbo, I encourage you to first ask yourself, "Have we covered this?" And be sure to give your kids credit. They know when they cross set boundaries a lot more than you may think they do.

I have taught Mikaela from an early age (18-24mos) that Jesus wants us to love everybody. I've added to that as she has matured, so that now she also knows that we are to treat others the way we want to be treated, and that we show God we love Him by obeying Him and obeying our parents. If an action is out of line with these precepts then she understands that it is disobedience, and she knows that disobedience calls for discipline. Follow me?     

Hope I didn't lose you and that what the Lord showed me has given you something good to think about as you continue on with your highest calling...raising powerful men and women of God!

"For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights." Proverbs 3:12

You may also like - "5 Game-changing Phrases You Should Teach Your Kids Today"

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Get Out of Here, Satan!

So I’m in in the kitchen with Mikaela (my almost 4 year old) telling her about Matthew 4, where Jesus is tempted in the garden by Satan. I’m explaining to her that “to tempt” is when someone tries to get you to do (or to want to do) something wrong. I told her Satan is God’s enemy, that he doesn’t love God and he tries to trick us into not loving Him either. Immediately, she stomps her foot and shouts, “But He is my God, and I love Him very much! So get out of here, Satan!” :) Of course I’m thinking, “That’s my girl!”

 We went on to talk about the powerful way that Jesus confronted Satan. Mikaela’s favorite part is when Jesus said, “Get out of here!” :) But we also talked about the other half…Christ used the most powerful weapon of all, the Word of God. Each time He replied, “It is written…”

Now, I want you to think about this…when Satan was trying to fill Christ’s head with lies and junk Jesus didn’t have time to run and get His Bible! (Or scroll, as the case may be.) I know this is a comical thought but the truth is, He was human just like us. Had He not spent time in the Word and made it a point to memorize scripture (hiding it in His heart) it would no doubt have been much more challenging to defeat the devil in this situation. But He was prepared!

I firmly believe that in the absence of memorizing scripture we can never truly unlock the full power of the Word in our lives. Don’t say you can’t! God wouldn’t call us to hide His words in our hearts if we couldn’t do it. Just pick a verse that really ministers to you and read it several times a day. Write it on your mirror. Put it on note cards placed where you’ll see them several times a day. Soon it will begin coming to you, seemingly out of the blue, just when you need it most. And you will then experience the Holy Spirit speaking to you out of the scripture you have stored up! It is an awesome tool for taking each thought captive and putting Satan in his place from the very first instant he makes a move for your mind.

Teach Your Kids To Fight!

“When I am afraid, I will trust in You. When I am afraid, I will trust in You.” Over and over she said these words aloud as she tentatively ventured into the dark room. Then she spotted it. The prize she sought…Mickey Mouse! She grabbed him. And SWOOSH! She was gone, fast as she could back into the living room and the safe haven of the fluorescent bulb. “I did it! I said my verse, and I wasn’t afraid!” And with that Mikaela (who had just turned 3 at the time) had just fought and won her first encounter with spiritual warfare!   

The concept is not hard. The Word has power and it is our weapon against every tactic of the enemy. Even a child can fight this battle. Psalm 56:3 was the verse of the month for Mikaela’s preschool. When she said she was scared to go into the dark room to get her toy by herself I told her she was never alone and to remember her verse. She immediately put the Word to work and won her fight with fear!

“For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds,” 2 Corinthians 10:4

“For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword,” Hebrews 4:12a

Mikaela was memorizing scripture before her second birthday. I say this not to brag on her or myself but rather to make a point that our kids are designed by their creator with a much greater capacity for His truths than we often realize. Go ahead, give it a try! You’ll be amazed how quickly your little one will catch on. We started with John 3:16a, Prov. 3:5 and Matthew 22:37.  Practice in the morning over breakfast. Say them before bed. And the greatest time I’ve found is driving around in the car. Turn off the radio and tune your kids into the Holy Spirit! Seeing them discover His Words for the first time will bless your soul.

So go ahead…teach your kids to fight!