Okay, so how many times does God have to literally smack me "upside the head" in order to finally surrender my problems to Him? Last night after putting James down to sleep (after a bath, a big 6 oz. bottle, no swaddling, and with his favourite blankie), I read my chapter for Bible Study in Joyce Meyer's book "Battlefield of the Mind". It was a completely perfect chapter, and basically I want to re-write it here for you to read. It was Chapter 4 I think, called "Little by Little". In a nutshell the book is about renewing your mind, and learning to think positively. The statement that stuck out most to me in this chapter was something like, God does not condemn us, even when we make mistakes. He does not want me to feel guilt, anger, failure, etc. I need to say to myself daily "I'm going to be fine - today will be a GREAT day". I put this phrase on a post-it note next to the microwave. I want to think this way every day, instead of getting all anxious about the "bad" day or "bad" night I'm about to experience. Needless to say this chapter was exactly what I needed to hear, and I spent a long time in prayer about it last night.So, we put James down at 8:30pm and went to bed. At 11:45 he woke up, and we were about to go in to feed him when we realized he was making quiet happy sounds - not crying. We peeked into his room, and he was happily playing with his blankie! We crawled back into bed, giggling at his happy noises. Eventually, he fell back asleep until 1:30am! I went in to feed him, and he fell right back to sleep. He woke up next at 5:30am, and Ryan fed him. He woke up again at 8:00am, but was happily playing quietly in his crib until 9:00am! WOW! That was a great night, and today I feel 100% renewed - and ready to face the next week. All it takes is one good night, you know? James has been an extremely little happy camper all morning too. We had lunch at the local Café with my mother-in-law, and he was simply a little social butterfly. He's also gone down perfectly for his naps. Anyway, I'm going to try repeating the same pattern tonight, and see what happens. I'm not going to count my chickens before they hatch, however, I am going to THINK about tonight being a GREAT night. "I'm going to be fine - tonight will be a GREAT night..." Thanks Lord, for the hit upside the head. I needed that.
If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get his help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves. Don't think you're going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.
James 1:5 (The Message)
8 comments :
Another great post Heather! We had a long night with Olivia last night and nights like that can make me quite anxious. So I was blessed to hear what you had to say today! I will keep it in mind!
Wow, this post was a true inspiration for me. I think that sometimes as of late I've really needed to be "smacked upside the head" and it is so hard to think positively sometimes...I think I'm gonna look into getting this book to read! Thanks for the great post Heather, and you'll be in my prayers! Glad to hear that you had a good night last night also!!!
hey Heather! I tried commenting on your 2nd last post, about James not sleeping...in the middle of my extrememly long comment my computer crashed! lol I wasn't in the best mood to start writing it over again! lol
I will leave ya with one little tip though that might help for future nites...
If James wakes up before he needs to eat (in the middle of the nite) get your husband to go into his room rather than you (you mentioned that you would give him a little to eat than lay him back to sleep). If you go in every time to calm him down (if you're sure he's not needing to eat) he'll just expect food even if he's not hungry. So if you go in to lay him down he'll just get mad that you didn't feed him. It won't take long for him to realize that he doesn't get "mommy food" every time he wakes up...he'll learn to put himself back to sleep.
I'm glad you had a good nite with him last nite, and I hope it continues...just thought that tip might help if he gets back into the same rut again!
Be blessed!
I really appreciate this post. I've been feeling frustrated about things in my life lately and have unfortunately let myself get somewhat negative about it all. The verse you put at the end is very helpful to me, so thanks :)
We've had a rough couple of nights with Annika, and the verse was definitely encouraging to me...I will make sure I read that verse tonight before going to bed. Thanks.
Hi Heather;
I had to check this post since we talked about it at bible study.
A great reminder, and very encouraging!
James is adorable in this photo too! Brings a smile to my face right away!
Have a great night,
Robin.
I remember a book that I read when my kids were small called 'Diapers, Pacifiers and other Holy things'. There was a chapter in there about praying through your day. I found that helped so much! Like, "I sure spend a lot of time changing James. Just like You've spent a lot of time changing me. Thanks God." "Thanks for washing away my sins, just the way I'm washing away disgusting things in this toilet." I won't say that I was perfect at it, but I found that it helped me to focus on God and see my life through His eyes. I love what you said about have a positive mind. It does wonders just to say to yourself, "even though my baby is crying and I have tonnes to do, I am going to have a great day! I'm going to love, I'm going to work with joy and I'm going to spend the day with you God!" Many blessings on you Heather!
Good for you Heather. I'm so excited for you that you had a good night and that you already had such a positive attitude even before he went to bed! I know what you mean about one good night being so refreshing! Keep plugging away, and just remember that no matter how many people give you advice, each baby is different and you still have to do what works for your own family. You're in my prayers.
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