It's My Choice

The alarm clock hasn't even gone off yet, but I awake with adrenaline when My Beloved wakens from what must have been a bad dream. He goes right back to sleep, but I'm still trying to figure out what just happened. It's not even 6 o'clock.

I watch the time go by, dozing off and on throughout the next hour or so until 7. The alarm sounds. I hit the snooze button and roll back over. I know I need to get up and wake the kids, at least Tornado, if I want to avoid a tough nap time, but I don't quite feel rested, and the bed is so warm.

At 7:20 I force myself out of bed. My day begins. I don't have time to shower, for that I should have gotten up at 6:30 or earlier (nothing for some of you, but we tend to be up late over here). I don't have time to spend alone. I'm already 20 minutes late getting Tornado out of bed. Nope, this is the start of my day.

No matter what the beginnings of my day (which today, in all honesty, are pretty good compared to other days), I have a choice. You see, I get to choose what kind of day I'm going to have. Today, I chose to have a bad day... and it's been awful! I chose to drag my feet, be easily annoyed, avoid joy. I chose to become frustrated when things weren't going right, to be dragged down by clutter and toy covered floors instead of picking them up. I chose to sulk and pout, to despair and depress... and yes, it makes for a terrible day. I might as well have woken up this morning to announce that I would be having a bad day.

Forgive me Lord!

Just as I had the choice to make as I rolled over this morning, I've had the same choice with each moment since. And each moment I've made the wrong choice, the bad choice, the hard choice. Why is it that we think holding onto a bad attitude is the easy thing to do, when in actuality, it makes everything harder, less enjoyable.

Beginning now (though it may not be easy), I'm determining that this will be a great afternoon. I want to cling to joy, to worship, to Him.

A week or so ago, a new friend shared with me her challenge for the day from Debi Pearl's book Created to Be His Helpmeet: "Write three new things that you will add to your life that will cause you to become more precious to your husband."

My response to that was the following list:

1. Choosing (with God's help) a worshipful spirit instead of a complaining spirit.
2. Set aside tiredness or discouragement and get up to do the next thing in this sea of busy-ness (again, with God's help).
3. DO NOT take everything as a personal attack from him as I know he never means it that way.

I didn't want to write the list... it meant I would need to actually try to do it, and I didn't feel like I had the energy... I don't feel it now. But I must remember that God's yoke is easy, His burden is light! (Matt. 11:30) I don't have the energy NOT to work at the things on this list. It will make me more precious to more than just my husband... and just think of what kind of day I can have!

Labels: As it happens..., Reflections

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 2:45 PM