I Have a Choice!

I CANNOT believe it has been 11 days since I posted ANYTHING about life OR Unglued. I'll do a little recap later of what's been going on. But until then, here is

Today's Unglued Blog Update

(You may want to do a little review of my last one cause I'm just doing a continuum)

Another one of mostly my rewording & adding some of my own to what Lysa said. I just think she hits the nail right on the head!

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ~1 Peter 5:8
 

And sometimes, it's good to say "I have a choice!" (out loud) in the midst of the angry moment to hold me back from exploding. My choice is whether or not to give the other person the power to control my emotions. The one who holds their tongue is the one who holds the power. When I react by yelling, flying off the handle, or making a snappy comment (those head-spinning Momma moments), I basically transfer my power to the other person. In the case of my girls, that means I am giving my power to one of two preschoolers....YIKES!

When I consider my response from this perspective, I quickly realize I don't want to freely hand over my power to someone not in a position to handle it or be more immature than my preschoolers -- or anyone else. When I am void of power, I am void of self-control. So if I'm going to remain self-controlled, I have to keep my power.

 

Now I'm not talking about super powers here (I mean, I know I'm a mom so I have some & all). I'm referring to God's power working in me. When I react according to God's Word, I feel that power. When I react contrary to God's Word, I feel powerless. God offers a good reminder of how we can tap into His power no matter our situation in Isaiah 55:10-11:

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
 

I caught a very important part there: God's Word will not return empty! The answer to keeping God's power with me & working in me to produce self-control is letting God's Word get inside me. His Word seeping into my mind & my heart will accomplish things (good things, powerful things, things that help me display self-control). That's how I access God's power!

 

I need to memorize more scriptures & try this: When I'm facing a situation in which someone is getting on my last good nerve, I'm going to start quoting God's Word in the present tense, either in my head or out loud (which may require me to excuse myself so I can answer or call or text a response later), depending on the situation. For example, if one of my sweet baby girls starts acting not so sweet I might call to mind 1 Peter 5:6-8 & at least think before responding: "In this moment I'm choosing to be self-controlled and alert. Your actions are begging me to yell and lose control. But I realize I have an enemy, and that enemy is not you. The devil is prowling and roaring and looking to devour me through my own lack of control right now, but I am God's girl. That's right, I am. I am going to humbly and quietly let God have His way in me. And when I do, God will lift up me and my frayed nerves from this situation and fill me with a much better reaction than what I can give you at this moment. Give me just a few minutes and then we'll talk calmly about this."

 

It seems that processing things scripturally in the present tense may keep my heart in a much better place. But what about a girl like me who barely knows John 3:16? Lysa address this too! She says this actually isn't an exercise in memorizing as much as it is in application. I just need to keep verses handy to use (record a few in the notes app of my phone, or put them on sticky notes or index cards). And the cool thing is: The more I use them, the more likely I will be to memorize them! This is important because when I operate according to God's Word, I operate according to God's Will. Even Lysa (who blogs & speaks & teaches on this principle) has to have some verses on index cards so they are in her face, she can speak them in the present tense, & refrain from exploding.

 

God is the perfect match & divine communication with Him is what's needed. Sometimes the quickest way to receive it is by going straight to His Word. Why divine communication? I need God to help me hold back the explosions.....hold back the blame....hold back the shaming. Proverbs 29:18 --"Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint"-- is a good reminder that only revelation or the truth of God's Word can help restrain me the right way. The Hebrew word for "revelation" in this verse means divine communication. In other words, "Without divine communication people cast off restraint." This is so interesting to me! Is it to you?

 

Stay tuned for my next Unglued blog update....it's about Holy Restraint.