Today the kids and I had one of those mornings. Your truly (yes, that’s me!) woke up on the wrong side of the bed. The side where one emerges from slumber like a grizzly bear out of hibernation. Then because I overslept, almost everyone else did too. The ensuing drama resulted in 3 cubs and their grizzly bear Momma trying to cram 40 minutes’ worth of school prep into 20 minutes. Let me set the scene:
7:05 am – In hopes of having clean, albeit semi-wet socks, my youngest ran to the car and grabbed his sole pair of socks without holes. I found him washing them in the sink.
7:10 am – Frantically, I mixed up applesauce pancakes because we had no other breakfast options….no cereal, no bagels, not toast, no eggs.
7:12 am – After washing his socks, my son sadly discovered our dryer died dead as a doornail. He had to choose between dirty sock with holes, or wet socks without holes.
7:20 am – My oldest stuffed a few pita chips in a bag, grabbed pancakes with uncooked goo still left in the middle, and bolted out the door for the PSAT. His usual “goodbye, Mom” was replaced with a gruff, “something needs to be done about this food situation!”
At this point, I wanted to cry. I understood the assignment …. and I was failing.
Sound familiar?
Like a ball bouncing around a pinball machine, a few unhelpful thoughts pinged through my mind. I’m so disorganized. I’m terrible at time management. I can’t get anything right. I did not get to the grocery store this week. I slept through my alarm. The dirty dinner dishes still glared at me from the night before, my dryer stood helpless, and goodness, my son’s socks weren’t going to buy themselves! I felt defeated.
Have you been there? The space where defeat cozies up as your newest best friend? But if I’m honest, my mental pinball machine held several grains of truth. To say these thoughts were a lie, is a lie. Disorganization and mismanagement are my regrettable weaknesses. Cut me and I will bleed haphazard spontaneity. So what do we do when we feel defeated by some of the not-so-awesome parts of us?
Thankfully, just as I began to fall down a slippery slope of defeat, the Spirit reminded that I held the power to choose. I could wallow in pools of self-pity, held captive by these thoughts, or I could refuse to put another quarter in the pinball game. The key here is our minds. And sometimes we need a mental clapback!
For those who are not familiar, Merriam-Webster defines a clapback as a “a quick, sharp, and effective response to criticism.” Or, as Dictionary.com says, “A clapback is a very strong and well-observed comeback—one so fierce it utterly destroys and owns its target.”
Needing a “quick, sharp and effective response,” what, my friends, is alive and active and sharper than a double edged sword? You got it! The Word of God. Without a doubt, when we need a resounding mental clapback, scripture is vital. And I mean scripture in all forms. For example, the words that are read in the quiet spaces of morning and the scriptures that are song by toddlers in the backseat. The verses that pop up in our memory and the ones written on index cards and plastered all over our homes. All of them wash us like water running over a dirty rag. The Word purifies and sanctifies and redirects and reorients our mind, which is so prone to wander.
So what did I do when those feelings of defeat and overwhelm slunk into my mind? Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to, I didn’t have time to sit down with my Bible. But my hyper dogs did need a walk. So I put on my running shoes. Pushed play on my Bible App, and this is what I heard:
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Phil 4:4-6)
Take a look at this passage again. What are the instructions? Rejoice. Again, rejoice. Show gentleness. Resist anxiety. Pray. Petition. Be Thankful. Without a doubt, had I chosen to wallow in pity, my mind would have spiraled down a path opposite to Philippians 4. Moody and anxious thoughts would have led to moody and anxious behavior, which would have led to a moody and anxious family. Y’all feeling me? For where the mind goes the body follows.
So the next time you need a mental clapback, remember the power of God’s Word. He alone turns mental defeat into victory! Because thankfully, self-pity and defeat are not in His vocabulary!
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
PS – If you’re eager to learn how to mine the amazing treasures of God’s Word, I’m here to help! Please click here and I will send you a 5 day Bible Study to jumpstart your treasure hunt. ❤️
Also, if you haven’t listened to Bold Mercies Podcast yet, here is your invitation! You will find emboldening and encouraging stories of faith here. As we say at Bold Mercies, stories lend strength. And somedays we need to borrow a little strength.
This is me. I am so disorganized and often fall into the trap of “if only I were a better organizer/homemaker/etc…. then everything would be better” thinking.
So, sounds like an average morning to me 🙂 I love your authenticity.
You are right! But I wish it was a little less normal in this household! I find mornings so hard after day light savings! But a few weeks out from that awful event, the sun is now peaking out when my alarm goes off, so it’s going much better this week.
And this, dear Sister in Christ, is why I love ya so!!
Love you too, dear one!
Heather, this was excellent. We love the word pictures.
Thank you. When I was thinking of my brain the picture of a pinball machine kept coming back again-and-again. Must be part of my absent-minded nature!