Monday Disaster
I believe many would agree that Mondays are usually one of the hardest days of the week...recovering from the weekend, getting tired kids ready for school on time, and motivating ourselves to tackle the week. Typically, Mondays are not the ideal day for anything to go haywire.
This morning was no exception, so I quickly tossed in a load of laundry in the midst of packing lunches. Realizing that I was out of detergent, I grabbed a new container and set it on top of the washer. Being in a rush, I forgot to place the new container on the shelf after my load began.
As any washer does during the spin cycle, it shakes quite a bit and it's likely no surprise to you that this is what I found at 8 am on a Monday morning:
A lake of detergent gushing from the container that had inched its way off the washer! Surprisingly, I did not flip out. For the most part, I remained calm, cool, and collected as I began the complicated task of cleaning up soap.
But there was one thing that DID surprise me.
It was how the devil discreetly took advantage of this unwanted disaster and barraged me with those self-loathing thoughts...
You idiot! How could you do something so stupid?!
This has happened before...haven't you learned your lesson yet?
Your mistake has just wasted four months worth of laundry detergent.
You can't do anything right.
It pains me even to re-think these thoughts and type them out. But, it is a reality that Satan is winning a major battle in the minds of women with these types of lies. He's always nit-picking and exaggerating our mistakes. We begin to believe and hold on to these lies as facts and truth.
This fresh realization that Satan's lies were setting root in my heart reminded me to re-read some notes I took at a recent retreat:
I am...firmly rooted and being built up in Him (Colossians 2:7)
I am...dearly loved (Colossians 3:12)
I am...a friend of God (Rom 5:11)
I am...a Living Stone being built up in Christ as a spiritual mountain
God marvels...at me. (Psalm 139:13-14, 17-18)
Letting those truths wash over me slowly quieted those lies. As women, don't we so often extend grace to others so freely, but then withhold it from ourselves? We too easily strive for perfection rather than progress.
Truth be told, the clean up took several hours because it was underneath the appliances and when you add water to soap...you just get more soap! Anyways, during the long process, I was also reminded of a discussion we had in Sunday School yesterday in our study of Job. Did you ever notice that when all the calamities happened to Job on that fateful day, the first thing he did was tear his clothes and....worship?! He didn't cry out with questions of why and how, but simply fell to his knees in humble adoration of God's Almighty power.
Obviously, my little disaster was hardly comparable to Job's losses, but it did challenge me to praise and worship God even when I didn't really feel like it. So rather than sulking in my self-made misery, I attempted to turn it into a time of worship of His goodness. There are hidden blessings in a disaster like this...squeaky clean floors, extra clean clothes, and a fresh smelling house!
Perhaps your week is off to a rough start too. Maybe those taunting lies about your many flaws are outnumbering the whisperings of love from your Savior. Maybe the storms of life are tossing you to and fro and you forget the last time you felt rooted in Him. Or perhaps you feel alone and friendless and you long to be enveloped in His loving arms.
I find it no coincidence that this recent favorite song of mine played on the radio twice today and I encourage you to give it a listen and fully believe and embrace its truth.
This morning was no exception, so I quickly tossed in a load of laundry in the midst of packing lunches. Realizing that I was out of detergent, I grabbed a new container and set it on top of the washer. Being in a rush, I forgot to place the new container on the shelf after my load began.
As any washer does during the spin cycle, it shakes quite a bit and it's likely no surprise to you that this is what I found at 8 am on a Monday morning:
A lake of detergent gushing from the container that had inched its way off the washer! Surprisingly, I did not flip out. For the most part, I remained calm, cool, and collected as I began the complicated task of cleaning up soap.
But there was one thing that DID surprise me.
It was how the devil discreetly took advantage of this unwanted disaster and barraged me with those self-loathing thoughts...
You idiot! How could you do something so stupid?!
This has happened before...haven't you learned your lesson yet?
Your mistake has just wasted four months worth of laundry detergent.
You can't do anything right.
It pains me even to re-think these thoughts and type them out. But, it is a reality that Satan is winning a major battle in the minds of women with these types of lies. He's always nit-picking and exaggerating our mistakes. We begin to believe and hold on to these lies as facts and truth.
This fresh realization that Satan's lies were setting root in my heart reminded me to re-read some notes I took at a recent retreat:
I am...firmly rooted and being built up in Him (Colossians 2:7)
I am...dearly loved (Colossians 3:12)
I am...a friend of God (Rom 5:11)
I am...a Living Stone being built up in Christ as a spiritual mountain
God marvels...at me. (Psalm 139:13-14, 17-18)
Letting those truths wash over me slowly quieted those lies. As women, don't we so often extend grace to others so freely, but then withhold it from ourselves? We too easily strive for perfection rather than progress.
Truth be told, the clean up took several hours because it was underneath the appliances and when you add water to soap...you just get more soap! Anyways, during the long process, I was also reminded of a discussion we had in Sunday School yesterday in our study of Job. Did you ever notice that when all the calamities happened to Job on that fateful day, the first thing he did was tear his clothes and....worship?! He didn't cry out with questions of why and how, but simply fell to his knees in humble adoration of God's Almighty power.
Obviously, my little disaster was hardly comparable to Job's losses, but it did challenge me to praise and worship God even when I didn't really feel like it. So rather than sulking in my self-made misery, I attempted to turn it into a time of worship of His goodness. There are hidden blessings in a disaster like this...squeaky clean floors, extra clean clothes, and a fresh smelling house!
Perhaps your week is off to a rough start too. Maybe those taunting lies about your many flaws are outnumbering the whisperings of love from your Savior. Maybe the storms of life are tossing you to and fro and you forget the last time you felt rooted in Him. Or perhaps you feel alone and friendless and you long to be enveloped in His loving arms.
I find it no coincidence that this recent favorite song of mine played on the radio twice today and I encourage you to give it a listen and fully believe and embrace its truth.
"I am chosen, not forsaken.
I am who You say I am.
You are for me, not against me.
I'm a child of God, yes I am!"
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