31 Days {Day 20}: Know Your Trigger

We have good days.  We have bad days.  It's universal, and I bet if you stop and take a minute to think about it, you can come up with a few things that increase your chances of having a bad day.

Is it waking up to a messy house?

Is it not having a plan for dinner?

Is it having an appointment in the middle of naptime?

Is it having somewhere to go for the fourth day in a row?  Or perhaps staying home for the fourth day in a row? 

For me, I know that Thursdays used to get me down.  I rarely dread Mondays (or rainy days, for that matter).  I'm fresh from the weekend and I welcome a chance to get back into a routine, get the laundry caught up, and put the house back in order.  We almost always plan to stay home on Mondays.  I'd also sail through Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but on Thursdays, I'd crash.  Brian works late most every Thursday night so I'd spend an entire day-- from early morning to bedtime-- alone and overwhelmed.  I yelled a lot more.  I cried a lot more.  I'd feel guilty and ask forgiveness and vow to do better next week, but when Thursday rolled around again, it was more of the same cycle of discouragement. 

Girl play

Fed up with myself, I devised a plan to make Thursdays better.  Every few weeks, I'd invite friends over on Thursday mornings to give us something to look forward to and to give me adult conversation. In the off-weeks, we'd go to the library or read a stack of fun books before we began our school day.  In the afternoon, I'd let the kids watch a movie while I took a nap or read a book.  We'd fix an easy dinner and serve it earlier than usual.  We'd sing a bunch of silly songs actions songs in the living room before bed so everyone could get their wiggles out before the tedious routine of teeth brushing and cover tucking. 

Though acknowledging my trigger was helpful and pre-planning eased the stress, I'm convinced those things were not what helped me through the day.  No.  It all changed when I realized that no matter how much of an effort I made to make things smoother, I still failed every. single. week. so on Thursday mornings before I even left my bed, I prayed for wisdom.  I prayed for His help to hold up my hands when I could not.  It  made all the difference.

Can I say that every Thursday is now a cheerful, happy bouquet of roses?  Certainly not,  but I can say that I know His strength is perfect and He is faithful.