Thursday, May 29, 2014

#268 - The Silver Lining Through the Melt-Down Days

Has it been one of those days or weeks? Have you found yourself sitting at your kitchen table, plopping your head down on the table and just letting the tears flow (or at least wanting to do that). Have you found yourself rubbing your temples thinking, "Am I good enough to do this job? Am I doing a terrible job? How can I be better when some of my natural tendencies aren't geared towards being good at _____________."

Friend, it will get better.
Isaiah 26:4a - So trust in the Lord (commit yourself to Him, lean on Him, hope confidently in Him.)...
Proverbs 31:28 - Her children rise up and call her blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied); and her husband boasts of and praises her...
Do you have an area of expertise? An area where you really do feel like, "I got this. I know what I'm doing." Then on the flip side, do you have an area where you feel like your brain is on overload, smoking, just trying to figure out how to do _____________?

For me, I definitely feel like I have those areas. I feel confident in my ability to listen to the Holy Spirit. I feel confident The Lord has called me to write. I feel confident in helping my kids be great sleepers and on a schedule that is conducive to what I want. I feel confident in my ability to nurse (so far 3 kids - Tyler Jr & Trinity until 12 months, Timothy is on month 5), pump and store a large supply of breast milk in the freezer….. but then, I have my areas. You know, those areas.

Those areas in my life, like trying to figure out how to organize a desk or nook in my house so it doesn't look so cluttered. My brain and organizing…. ahhhhhhh! I'm a "wannabe melancholy" - detail oriented, organized, everything in order. Although, it feels like there is smoke coming out of my ears because my brain is working so hard to figure it out when I'm trying to think about how to organize a certain area. Let's just say, it's not a natural gift!

Potty training. (argh!) Trying to help Trinity to not get (pardon me), poop all over the toilet seat when she gets up half way through going potty, as I walk away for just a second to tend to a crying baby.

Disciplining my kids so they will be obedient the first time they are asked to do something. Helping them be kind to each other and others. Discerning when the party is over and it is time to do some work (both Tyler Jr & Trinity are sanguines and constantly having fun! Especially Tyler Jr, I think he wakes up and there is a party going on in his brain!!! He wakes up, FUN! He gets dressed, FUN! He eats, FUN! Everything is bouncing and FUN!)

Keeping the house in order… being on a schedule… getting back in a routine of working out…. yaddee, yaddee, yaddee. You name it, I have my list of things I'm working on (or need to eventually work on!).

After a recent melt-down day… I'm reflecting on the silver lining. In organizing a desk/shelf area, I found a book (who knows when or where I got it), What a Difference a Mom Makes by Dr. Kevin Leman. What a perfect book for me to pick up right now. Learning how to raise children, specifically a son, and those important roles I play as a mom. Learning why everything is always a competition, because that's how boys are wired. They need to conquer. They are programmed to want to win.

Silver lining in someone I met. As I listened to the Holy Spirit prompting me to go meet some people while grocery shopping. I brushed up on my Spanish speaking skills and found out this ladies sister may just be the person I've been praying for to do some work I need done.

Silver lining. A good night sleep can make a lot of things better. A fresh start. Sometimes you may just need to go to bed, or take a hot bubble bath. On those days where you may be trying to think of your "highlight" as we do every night at the dinner table, "What was your highlight for the day?" The days where you internally are searching and thinking to yourself, "I didn't have a highlight today! I just want the day to end." 

Tomorrow is a new day. In retrospect, you may be able to find silver lining to your melt-down day. :) Did you meet someone who will be able to help you on something? Did you get a book recommendation of an area you need help in your life?

Not finding any silver lining to your melt-down day? Can you find a book to help? In your prayer time, ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to the book you need to read to help in an area you may be struggling. It's amazing that our weaknesses are someone else's strength. Can you utilize someone else's strength? I read 43 pages in one sitting (rare for me) this morning because what I view as an area I'm growing in knowledge, is someone else's strength. They can help me in my growth!
Ultimately, trust in the Lord. Commit yourself, your day, your strengths, your weakness, your pile of laundry, the dishes in the sink, the cheerios under your kitchen table to Him. Lean on Him to help you figure out how and when to do what you need to do. Hope confidently in Him and His ability to provide the people and resources for you to do your job with excellence. 
TODAY have EYES TO SEE. Be on the look-out for the resources you need, a book or person, a podcast or audio that the Holy Spirit will place in your path to help you! As you read the book or listen to the audio, you will breathe a sigh of relief as you think, "This is JUST what I needed! There was silver lining in my melt-down day after all."

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