I Am Content and Emotionally Stable
Did you laugh under your breath as you read that? or chuckle out loud? or are you content and confident in your emotional stability? I'll be honest, my first indication was to laugh and I did as I thought about what my awesome Jesus Girl sisters must have thought when they read it.
'Godliness with Contentment is Great Gain' 1 Timothy 6:6
In this chapter, Joyce points out that JESUS is our example. He's referred to as 'the Rock'. In Hebrews 13:8 we are told He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He never changes. He doesn't change how he 'feels' about things depending on his mood. WOW! Must be nice huh?
Well, the bad news is that emotions are NOT going away. We are human, we live in the flesh - and sorry ladies, but we are WOMEN......come on, admit it......we have more moods than leopards have spots! and I've given you a visual......so when you hit one of those moods and feel yourself becoming emotionally unstable, I want you to think about this leopard, his spots, and what else he represents. For him, these spots equate to success. Here are some facts about the leopard:
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- Huge success living 'in the wild' (we too live in the wild!)
- Runs at speeds upwards of 36 mph
- Climbs trees even when carrying a heavy carcass
- Is notorious for stealth
- Rarely misses it's prey!
So, today when something gets you down or out of sorts - when you feel a mood coming on or become irritable - maybe your snapping at a child or giving your husband a hard time - think about the leopards spots appearing - got the vision? - and take a few minutes to readjust.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 reads:
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, or its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
Those roots provide stabilization. Let's work on some stabilization in our lives this week. Let's reflect on the verses in the bible that teach us to be grounded. Here are a few tips from Joyce to do this:
- Reach out to our Heavenly Father immediately for help. Stop, Pray. Ask for Help
- Use Patience - God wants us to use wisdom and that encourages patience.
- Take a few minutes to get your emotions in check before acting
- Exercise Self Control - this is a God-Given fruit of the spirit.
- You have to practice it.
Reading / Blog Assignments:
Day 1 - Breaking Bad Habits - Leanne (Read Section 1 of our chapter)
Day 2 - Believe - Kara
Day 3 - What Provokes You - Sherry
Day 4 - Focus - Melanie
Day 5 - Get out of the Rut - Kelley
Day 6 - Recap - Cynda
Day 6 - Prayer Day - Kendra
Day 7 - Weekly Assignments - Kelley
Dear God, Monday's are incredible! AWESOME! We get another shot at making one of your God-Given weeks the best it can possibly be. I am praying that each reader starts this week with STRENGTH and POWER - seeking it from you. I pray that we stop and think before we run to the fridge when we get emotional or have something occur that makes us snap. I pray that we read your Word and absorb the wisdom and promises provided on each page. I pray for self-control and patience in our walk this week. We love you Father and we are so thankful for you. Thank you for this group, thank you for your love, thank you for your promise of eternal life. In your precious name we pray. Amen
Let's do it ladies! Come on - POWER! Lysa TerKerust tells us in Made to Crave that we are EMPOWERED. I know my bible study sisters that read Lysa's book have that forever engraved in their minds. Through our Heavenly Father, We are EMPOWERED!
I love you and am so thankful for you and this journey we are on together!
<3 Kelley
*NOTE: Joyce references us having more emotions than the leopard has spots; however, the information surrounding the leopard was taken from Wikipedia (not Joyce's book)
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