Monday, August 04, 2008

Manic Monday



We had a fun-filled day with one of my dearest friends from college and her children, who drove several hours round trip just to spend some quality time with us. With 4 small children and an infant, the deep, leisurely, heart-to-heart conversations we had hoped for were impossible to complete. (Who am I kidding, sentences were difficult to complete.) Nevertheless, we enjoyed being together.

After their departure, we had to go to Kroger due to Mommy's lack of planning. We ventured out in less than our best attitudes despite the fact that it was 100 very humid degrees outside. After navigating the grocery store during rush hour, we made it to the check out line. Just as the clerk was totalling my order, I realized I had left my wallet in the car...Again! This is the second time in 6 days I have done this--with the same clerk no less. She was very understanding as I dashed out to get the wallet and returned. I seriously think the heat is evaporating my braincells!

I came home and tried to make 2 dinners...one for the children and another for my husband and I. (I don't do this every night, but it is a bad habit that I need to break ASAP!) Things got really ugly at my house and ended in yelling, tears, apologies and ultimately laughter. And I participated in all of the aforementioned, I must confess.

I was going to tell the whole drawn out story, but as I was typing it just put me in a bad mood all over again. I have realized that the reason I don't write about the bad times and the difficult moments more often is not from a desire to pretend they don't happen, as much as it is because I would rather not dwell on them.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9 NIV

In The Message it paraphrases a portion of verse 8 by encouraging us to fill our minds with, "the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse."

I love that! I know it is important to be realistic. I must reflect on the moments where I blew it, in order to repent and to learn from them. But I cannot meditate on them. I want to meditate on the positive not the negative.

Tonight the 'positive' is that we serve a God of second (third, fourth, thousandth) chances and His mercies are new every morning. Thank you, God, for that. I am ready for tomorrow.

7 comments:

Tara said...

Wow, I love that. I hadn't read the Message version of that verse before. I wish I had done more of that this past year. Things would have been a lot more pleasant, not just for me, but for the people around me... :) Oh well, live and learn. Thanks for the reminder!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing. I needed to hear that. Too often lately I've been "meditating" on how I blew up at the kids or what things aren't right rather than focusing on how to learn and move on and think of the good, true things.

Kim said...

I know those manic days well. I think I'm like you in wanting to dwell on the good parts of life. It makes things such a better memory!

I love the phrasing of the verse from the Message. Thanks for sharing it.

Tracy: said...

oh, I think I had one of those days today! BAD! My family is so patient and loving...(or scared, ha) I just can't blame it on "that time" all the time!! To top it all off, I am going out of town for a few days and I just know in about 24 hours I am going to be ridden with guilt (more than I am now) because I will be missing them. I will re-read that passage. I also love the Message version!
Thanks!

R said...

at the end of bad days, when i close the door to the girls' room after i've settled them in bed for the night, i usually sigh in relief and cleansing and think to myself, "Your mercies are new every morning. thank You for the gift of tomorrow that could redeem today!"

Christi said...

Thank goodness for those new mercies! This really spoke to my heart today, as I've been spending time in the negative lately. Thanks!

KM said...

I so needed to read this post this morning. It was a bad Mommy morning...and I'm less than pleased with how I behaved in the midst of a stressful moment.

Approx 4 min after my outburst, my 4 year old daughter came up to me with a wide smile (a little wet of a smile after her tears from 4 min ago) and asked as happily as can be: can I give you a kiss?

Made my day...then made me feel horrible! But we made it through. And His mercies are new every morning.

Thanks for sharing your post! We don't have to know the nitty gritty details...I believe all of us mothers can relate!

Kristi in Texas