Written by Teresa Martin, who also blogs at frazzledazzlemama.com.
As I got ready to get in the shower before going to work the other morning, I noticed the laundry hamper was overflowing again and I had just washed all the clothes the day before. Where did these clothes suddenly come from? Likely the floor from my family’s bedrooms! But as I felt myself wanting to grumble, I changed my look on things and instead thought the following:
- “I’m thankful that I have a washing machine, so I don’t have to go to a creek or a river.”
- “I’m thankful that I have clothes to wash as well as clothes to wear when these are dirty.”
- “I’m thankful that I have a husband and children to care for.”
- “I’m thankful that I have running water to wash the clothes as well as this warm shower I’m about to step into.”
With those thoughts, the “grumblies” gave way and left.
For all of you women out there who have others to care for and other people in your home making messes besides you…. try to focus on your positives. I know it can be hard.
It can be hard to focus on the positives because… well… life happens. If you’re a mom, you’ve got little ones or even teen-aged big ones who have mood swings and “grumpies” at the snap of a finger. All it takes is one person’s negativity to derail your own! All that negativity can wear on you over time. If you have negativity at home and then add to that negativity at work, it can really derail you, even crush you mentally and emotionally.
Reading from Proverbs 17:22 — “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up bones.” So, protect yourself from the “grumpy grumblies”… Let God in your heart to overcome your negatives so you can find goodness and become strong and flourish. Try to find ways to not only help yourself to see the good in things, but also to help your children and even friends find goodness before you run out of steam.
From Unashamed Devotional by Christine Caine:
“A prosperous soul is so vital. To prosper means to become active and strong, to thrive and flourish. When God moves in and you give Him full access to your soul, He heals your soul with His presence and allows it to flourish. When God moves in, we move on. Because we’re able to. Without Him, we cannot do it. We will inevitably become weary and run out of steam. It is God’s power that is made perfect in our weakness, not our own.”
#WednesdayWordForWomen
