July 15: A Giant, Sticky Ball of Stress

Today I learned, when mandating some reading be completed before any TV watching, that I'm "boring, mean, and must not care at all." Today I also learned that if you're the meanest most boring mom ever in the whole entire universe, you must be doing something right. 

The latter half of yesterday was just one of those days. I was mad, mad, mad at everyone and plain old crabby. It was one of those days where I completely let the circumstances control my attitude and responses. And I should've bit my tongue as the circumstances stacked up against me; I should've walked away like I did the other day. At some point I should've just said ENOUGH and stopped trying to fit too much stuff into not enough time.

But do you ever feel like it's out of control and you can't stop it? Because that's how I felt. I felt like this frenzied ball of stress, and once the ball of stress got rolling, I couldn't even think straight let alone stop it. The ball of stress was big, and probably even sticky, like a giant wad of gum that gets stuck on the bottom of your shoe. A big enough wad to get you stressed out in the first place.

Then the dog runs away and you can't catch him or get him to come back, and the sticky ball of stress starts rolling. Along the way it picks up kids who had been playing out in the rain and are now covered in mud, whining, a baseball game that's cancelled and then not cancelled, frustration with the dog and the children, more whining, debris from a frantic run out the door to pick up dad from work, get the snack for the game that was supposed to be cancelled, and get to the game. It also manages to pick up children who can't seem to sit down and eat a meal without acting crazy and a baby pooping in the bathtub, again.

Before you know it, this sticky ball of stress is so huge and moving so fast that you don't even recognize yourself anymore. Furthermore, there is so much junk and debris that stuck to the ball as it was rolling downhill that it's disgusting, and no one wants to be around you anymore.


Anyone else ever turn into a giant ball of stress?


No?


Ya, me either. Noooo idea what that's all about...

****

After days like this, I'm so thankful for bedtime. I'm thankful for God's Word and it's ability to right our perspective unlike anything else in the world. I'm thankful that He's able to grab ahold of the biggest, stickiest, fastest, most disgusting stress balls and stop them in their tracks with His mighty hand of redemption. And I'm thankful that His mercies are new every morning and that tomorrow can be a better day.

And it was.