Giving Myself Permission

The last few days were tough. But today is a new day!

Armed with more ideas on how to be proactive in assisting my boys through the teething process, I'm feeling a lot better. I have teethers and apple slices freezing, Biter Biscuits for lunch, washclothes ready to be douced in cold water and Hurricane Gel at an arm's length. Bring. It. On.

Jack and Ben soothe their gums with their ice cold teethers

This morning, though, I felt guilty for how easily I let the circumstances "get to me" yesterday. Granted, it was rough, but I consider myself to be a patient person. How could I let things boil over so quickly?

The Lord brought my mind to this verse:

"In your anger, do not sin."

Psalm 4:4

That made me realize: it's okay to be angry. It's okay to be frustrated, annoyed and bothered. Even Jesus got angry! (If you don't believe me, see Matthew 21 of the Bible!) It's one of the things that makes us human. But being angry is not where we get into trouble. It's what we do with that anger.

The verse said for us not to sin in our anger.

Motherhood is a lot of work. It is, without a doubt, the hardest thing I've ever done... and that's coming from a public school teacher of five years with a Master's Degree! But at the same time, it is also, by FAR, the most rewarding thing I could do.

I'm trying not to be so hard on myself for being human. I'm going to give myself permission get frustrated sometimes. It's going to happen. There will be success; there will be failure. When I do fail, I will ask for forgiveness and move on. I'll allow myself the flexibilty to be who God made me to be. I'll remind myself that it's okay to be angry, but I am also going to be vigilant to see that I don't react to those feelings in a way that I will regret later on.

After all, my kids are counting on me.