Just Melodramatic Thoughts...

"Today has been an especially difficult day for me. It has not been because of any extraordinary circumstance or particular behavior from my children (just the usual). It happens to be that certain day of that blessed female cycle...Ugh.
Satan has had some good opportunities today to get me to slip and stumble away from where I know my peace comes from, Him. Not just my peace, but my strength and faith to get me through these yucky 24hrs that happen monthly is in Jesus Christ! Why then do I easily get distracted with myself? All I can think about is how tired I am, how grumpy I am, how difficult it is to train and raise these children, why can't they make that chocolate shake any faster!! I find it easily excuses my behavior that is not honoring to God or my family.
Then I think (after reading today's' devotion), it's not that today is especially hard, it's because all month up to this day, I have not been preparing for what I know will happen. Satan comes knocking at my door, offering an excuse for all the yuck I spew out of my mouth and thoughts...Why is this? The Bible says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
As you will read below, the example the author gives regarding II Cor. 5:17, is damaged hair that needs to be cut off. This month, I have let my life get dried up, cracked, and damaged. Today just happened to be the day that I got to my weakest point and cried out for help (why did I wait so long?) Thankfully (Praise God) He is constant, He is waiting for us to cry out to Him, so that He can help smooth out the edges, help us cut off the old, and to bring peace back to my day!
As I read, I have been reminded that my attitude and reasoning for it (PMS, right?), has been all wrong. When I put Emily to bed (nap) she asked to pray with me...I wanted nothing but for her just to go to bed so that I could lay down...Well, we prayed and prayed for my attitude. I already feel a load has been lifted, headache is subsiding, and encouragement from His word is flowing in. I pray that this too can be an encouragement to you or someone you know.
(Apologies for the lengthy thoughts...)
Some of you may already subscribe to this, so sorry for the repetition..."

September 5, 2006
"The Hair Cut"

Melissa Taylor
Speaker Team Member, Proverbs 31 Board of Directors
Key Verse:
2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (NIV)

Devotion:
My daughter was in great need of a hair cut.

She has beautiful, long, brownish-red hair. The problem is we can't brush or comb it without major tears in the morning! It's only gotten worse the longer we've gone without cutting it. You see, she loves to play hard, swim, and keep up with her three older brothers.

While I knew that it needed to be cut, the thought of those sweet locks being snipped just broke my heart. She wasn't too excited either. The reality of someone cutting her hair terrified her.

We decided to visit a hair stylist at a local salon. As soon as we walked in the stylist said, "Oh, I see we have a swimmer here. I'd know that dry, split, chlorine hair anywhere!" At first I was offended that she would talk to us that way, but I realized she was speaking the truth. Hayley Grace's hair was dry and split. I was pretty amazed that she also knew why. How could she tell? She could tell because she's in the business of hair. She's an expert! She went on to explain that with a simple wash and trim, Hayley Grace's hair would be a new creation. The cut would take off the old, and a healthy vibrant head of hair would be revealed. My daughter was fascinated by this. She said, "Let's do it Mommy. I want new pretty hair."

Friend, where are you right now? In what condition is your life? Is it cracked? Are you suffering? Do you feel defeated or unworthy? That's not the way it's supposed to be. Just like I took Hayley Grace to an expert to repair her hair, we have an Expert that can repair our lives- no matter the damage. Jesus Christ is the true life make-over artist.

In 2 Corinthians 5:17, the Bible says, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (NIV). Do you understand what that verse means? It means that you can become brand new, transformed, and whole. It requires one thing though: that you allow Christ to do the work for you. He is there for us. We just have to believe in Him and trust Him to do His work in us. Oh, it's not always easy. The truth can hurt. Change can be difficult and painful, but the end result is so worth it. When we give our lives to Christ, the old is gone. We are new creations in Christ Jesus. We are new lasting and permanent creations too. The makeover Jesus gives is not temporary. It lasts forever. We can't lose it, no matter what.

Oh, I wish you could see my daughter's new hair cut! She looks like a little princess. Her hair is healthy, no split ends or dryness remain. The old is gone. Unfortunately, her new hair style is just temporary. We must continue taking care of it to keep it looking this way. Only the changes Jesus makes are eternal. That reminds me - she really is a princess. She is a daughter of the King. Are you?

My Prayer for Today:
Dear Lord, I know there are changes that need to be made in my life. I need You to help me make them. Guide and direct me the way You want me to go. Give me the desire to leave the old behind so my new life in You will be revealed. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Application Steps:
Think about your life right now. Are there old ways or habits that you need to shed? Take a moment to write them down and then go to God with them. Ask Him how you can make lasting changes.

If you have not asked Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior, why not do it now? There's no better time than today to make permanent changes in your life. You can be a new creation today! Click here:http://proverbs31.gospelcom.net/knowHim.htm

Reflection Points:
Do you consider yourself a daughter of the King? A Princess?

Is there an area of your life that you need to change or makeover?

Have you talked to God about renewing your life?

Power Verses:
John 3:16, "God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die." (CEV)

John 3:17, "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it." (NLT)

Colossians 3:1-2, "So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ-that's where the action is. See things from his perspective." (MSG)

Additional resources:
• Living Life on Purpose , by Lysa TerKeurst

• The Bathtub is Overflowing, but I am Feeling Drained, by Lysa TerKeurst

• Do you know Him?


PROVERBS 31 MINISTRIES
616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road
Matthews, NC 28105
Office: (704) 849-2270
www.Proverbs31.org

The following was an email that I received back from one of our leaders in response to the "thoughts" I was having...

"Tonight is my 1st night for a women's bible study in my neighborhood & we're going through, "Lies Women Believe". She has a whole chapter on that "time of the month", so I thought I'd share since we're all women & I was just reading it this morning. Here is an excerpt from her book, p. 200:
Lie #34. "I can't help how I respond when my hormones are out of whack. (ties understandable to act like a shrew at certain times)"
If we accept the lie that we can't control our emotions, we will also believe we can't control how we act when we are feeling emotionally vulnerable or out of control Not only are we too quick to believe our feelings, we are also far too quick to obey them.
The problem is, if we cater to our emotions & let them control our actions in daily routines, we will be more vulnerable to being controlled by our emotions in the major transactions & difficult seasons of life.
Certainly what happens in our bodies does affect us emotionally, mentally & even spiritually. We cannot isolate these various dimensions of who we are-they are inseparably intertwined. But we fall into the trap of the Enemy when we justify sinful attitudes & responses based on our physical condition or hormonal changes.
As with other aspects of nature, God has designed our bodies to function in seasons & cycles. Certainly each season of life has its challenges. One of the consequences of the Fall was that childbearing would be accompanied by pain. Childbirth is not the only time those consequences are felt. For example, the difficulties some women experience associated with their menstrual cycle are a practical reminder of our fallen condition.
But every monthly cycle is also a reminder that God made us WOMEN, & that with our womanhood comes the capacity for being a bearer & nurturer of life. Didn't God make our bodies? Doesn't He understand how they work? Do you think things like menstrual cycle, hormones, pregnancy & menopause catch Him off guard?
Psalm 139:13 praises God for His watch care & His sovereign plan as it relates to the creation of our physical bodies:
"You are created in my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully & wonderfully made..."

What a great reminder to me!!