What I gave up and accidently lost something else...my temper!

I am not catholic, as you might know, but have been thinking how my friends and co-workers who are, give things up for lent. This is a thing that has never made sense to me, even in my childhood. Why give up sodas or chocolate?( I mean, seriously...CHOCOLATE? That is a a basic need!) I don't see the point of giving up those thing in the name of the Lord for a small season. Maybe someday someone will explain it to me.

So, I decided to give up negativity. For good.I knewI couldn't do that on my own, so I would need lots of prayer. No more gossip, no more looking at the glass as half full, no more participating in whining conversations, no more focusing on the 'woe is me' point of view, no more, no more, no more.

It felt good to make this decision. I didn't tell anyone, so I'm not sure who told ol' Mr. Devil. I love the thought that God knows our every thought but the devil has to figure things out from our words and actions. Well...he is VERY perceptive, beware.

Yesterday, I was hit by a crazy whirlwind tornado. Not a real one, but one of those emotional ones that throws a person into a spin. Before I knew it, I was waist deep in negative words, thoughts and..well..the whole situation. I spoke before I thought, I acted before I knew what I was doing. I did it all before I thought to pray and turn it over to my coach, my partner in this. (I AM a momma bear and when a person messes with my kids, I loose it, whether right or wrong. )

I failed, but I'm asking God for grace to keep trying. Again, and again, and again. It is like a diet, only a diet of a different sort.

Why make this a blog post? Because you are my friend and we're human. Sometimes that is a good thing to remember. We fail, we feel alone, we regret, we hurt, we struggle. It is supposed to be that way. Without that, we'd think we are strong and independence would prevail for some of us. I like remembering that I am nothing on my own. I need to be accountable and I need my God to help me to have grace through the tough stuff! I need my friends too and I'm thankful for you!