Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Prepare your Mind

The Lord is so good!  When I take the time to dive into scripture and hear from Him he always teaches me exactly what I need to know.  Last night was no exception.


I was reading in 1 Peter 1:13.  I was going to read through the end of the chapter but God kept me on verse 13.  It says, "Therefore, prepare you minds for action, be self controlled."

So, I began to think through what preparing my mind looks like as a mother of three young children.  Here is what I came up with:

1.  Daily read God's Word.
2.  Memorize and recite scripture often so that it is imprinted in my mind and on my heart.
3.  Pray to start the day.  Pray that God would help prepare my mind for action today.  He knows what's coming so why not call on Him for His help before the day even begins.
4.  Anticipate the problems that may occur that day and decide in advance how I am going to handle those situations.  For example...there WILL be whining in my day.  How will I react? How will I react the 25th time I hear whining as I am making dinner?  What's the plan?  If we are on the go all day, how will I handle battles in the car?  How can I minimize stress for my kids so they don't freak out?
5.  Remind myself throughout the day to view things in light of eternity, not the moment.
6.  If I get frustrated and overwhelmed call on God to renew my mind.

and then be SELF-CONTROLLED.  I can only respond with control if my mind is prepared in advance.  

Today was not perfect but I do think my parenting and the kids behavior was improved as a result of the lesson that God taught me last night.  I hope it can encourage and help some of you as well.

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