Cranky

I have found myself getting cranky lately. Surprise, I know, but sometimes my sweet gentle spirit (a slight exaggeration) escapes me. Whether it is children who do not listen the first time or husbands who seem to get sidetracked by the computer, I become short tempered. I want people to do the things I want them to do and I want everything to happen as I plan them. I know none of you has ever felt this way.

As I began to pray about my family, though, God whispered sweetly in my ear, “The problem is not with them, Kori. The problem is with you.” What? Are you kidding me? Why would the problem ever be with me? Don’t answer that.

To say the least, God led me to scripture. What did He lead me to? Philippians 2:14-16, “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.” He was telling me to worry about myself, to make sure I was doing the right thing.

I tell my children this same thing so often. Many times they point out when other children are “doing the wrong thing” and ask why those kids can do that and they cannot. I repeatedly point out that they are responsible for their own actions. They need to worry about themselves and not what everyone else is doing. God, through His Word, said the same thing to me.

Now realize that I correct my children when they do not do what I asked the first time and my husband was not really doing anything wrong, I was just getting cranky because things were not done my way. God pointed out that I need to do what He called me to do – without complaining or arguing. It is this attitude that allows me to “shine like the stars in the universe.”

He wants me to shine. My cranky attitude was certainly not shining. This lesson was a reminder of a lesson I learned years ago. When I was in college, my best friend’s mom was such a godly woman. Her husband was a pastor and she was a stay-at-home-mom. She was always busy caring for her family (and she made some great Mexican food!). I asked her once how she did what she did and with such a great attitude.  Her answer was Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

God has humbled me once again, reminding me that my job is to work for Him and Him alone, to worry more about me doing the right thing than what everyone else is doing, and to check my attitude. Crankiness does not shine very well. I will work on it, but I have a feeling God may need to remind me of this lesson again down the road. Thankfully, He is not near as cranky with me as I am with others.