365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 66

As I worked away on the 700+ pieces of mail I had to open, sort and count, I began thinking of how I have a college education and here I am opening mail. I was feeling pathetically angry with myself being in this situation. Needless to say, it is the hormones talking as I normally know that I am where God wants me to be for now and I am working on equipping myself for his calling.  I can’t say I was filled with peace my whole day but I got little micro bites of it when I caught a glance of my prayer cards and stopped to read one. For just a minute, I felt a smile on my face and in my heart. I know the hormones are not done with me yet this month so I am arming myself with my headphones and I-phone to listen to the Christan music that inspires me today and will pray for peace to reign in my heart just as Jesus reigns over the world.

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 40

Unfortunately, we all have bad days. I am only human like everyone else. My mood was sour, very sour. The only time I had a smile on my face yesterday was when I read one of my prayer cards at work and the thought of God working on me like a sculpture put a smile briefly to my face but than my current circumstances took over. I think we should make it a law that when women are in the midst of PMS they should be allowed to just be at home and pray. This is by far one of the greatest struggles for all females; those days before the blood flows when your hormones take control of you. I have found the peace I needed in those kinds of days in the past in the Word but alas I cannot read the bible all day at work so I am sucked into it. You throw in the almost constant aches and pains from my shoulder and an office where a person who is cold just turns up the thermostat up towards 80 degrees without any regard for anyone else in the office. Let’s just say my mood started sour and turned hostile. I had to get up and out of my office several times just to get out of the room and into the cooler hallway. I am still feeling the anger over it. Can you tell? Today I am going to write one word “Joy” on a paper and post it right where I can see it all day long. In this I will be reminded that Jesus is my joy and strength. With Him I can conquer all things. Yes, even a hot office with PMS and shoulder pain. There is much to be thankful for and I will focus on the one who gives me such great blessings and find in Him the joy, peace and strength to endure.

Nehemiah 8:10 Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 269

My eating program has been in slow-mode the last two weeks and I was day after day starting to feel more and more discouraged and tempted to eat something I shouldn't have. Well, the day finally came on Saturday afternoon. With no more crunchy meals in my Medifast stash and having a very strong desire for crunch, I ended up cheating and pulled out a bag of baked pita chips and pigged out as I watched an afternoon chick flick. Unfortunately, a lot of this is hormone driven as I have been super crabby, falling asleep when I should be awake and not sleeping when I should be sleeping. So, if this comes across wrong in any way, it's because I am need of some caffiene. So Sunday morning I go to get on the scale and weigh myself for the day as I do everyday. I half expected it to be up or at the very least the same as it has been all week long but to my delighted surprise I lost a pound and made it down into the 150's. Haven't seen those 150 numbers in quite a while so it felt amazingly good. Unfortunatley, my cheating bout didn't end as my hormones are still wreaking havoc and I raided the last bit of what was left in the pita chip bag after having lunch with a little avocado and some fresca cheese and a few tortilla chips. In any case, even if the drop to the 150's may be brief at least I know it can happen. I needed a little hope to get me through these hormonally driven dark days. This whole situation reminds me very much of how it is with our sins. Though we are trying not to sin, we may have those days where things are stacked against us and pushing us to sin more and more until we finally do. The great thing is that like I got on that scale and saw hope, we have the hope of Jesus every morning when we wake up to start a fresh day and every night when we go to bed discouraged, sad and guilty, Jesus is right there for us to say "please forgive me". Hope is alive and waiting for you. Just keep seeking...and praying...and looking and listening for Him.

Romans 12:12  Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 19

Today I am thankful for a children's book that reminded me of a good lesson. The book is called Are you Grumpy Santa? by Gregg & Evan Spiridellis.

We have a collections of Christmas themed books that we pull out at this time every year and I read one of those books every night to my daughter. Sants is grumpy because throughout his day lots of negative things are happening to him like a stubbed toe, a plate of healthy food from Mrs. Claus, having to wear the itchy wool red suit, getting stuck in a chimmeny, etc. At the end, Santa sees a letter with a plate of cookies and milk and reads the letter which in a nut shell tells Santa, "we love you". Love can do and be all things. In the midst of my grumpiness from the pain in my shoulder to my hormones starting to go haywire again, I was reminded of the love that God has for me and a smile came over me. I was ungrumpified! So thank you God for reminding me of your love and helping me get out of the grumpy's.
Psalm 85:7 Show us your unfailing love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 11

As I was driving to work earlier this week, I realized from my behaviors recently that I have been acting much more like my good old self. I have been struggling with peri-menapause issues for the last 5-6 years and ended up doing biodentical hormones for the last 3 years with so-so results because my body was constantly changing still headed towards menapause. I believe I am officially in menapause even though I am still a young 46. You have to be without a period for a year for them to consider it menapause but because I have been on hormone treatment there is no real way to determine. I recenlty decided to stop the hormones and the high cost which were giving me little results and started with a natural tincture I found on the internet called Mellowpause. I have never felt better! I have a time or two of crankiness but I think that's more stress-related than hormone related. No headaches, no night sweats, no hot flashes. So, I am praising God today for a return to good health and getting out of what were very dark days for me.

2Samuel 22:29 You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light.