Whoa, Nellie

Today seems to be a nice enough Wednesday, yet I find myself on the verge of a foul temper. It's very possible that I have a headache coming on. My energy level is insufficient to the day. I have no reason at all for a funk. It's very irritating.

Aaron is singing to himself as he works on his math. That child has the most buoyant of personalities. That's irritating, too.

Do you see how it is? I am not fit for humanity, and it's made worse by the utter lack of provocation! Here I sit, in a beautiful home, and an amazing life, and I am stewing in a bad attitude. How very ungrateful of me.

Why is it, do you think, that a mood can be so disconnected from reality? Scripture talks about the very real need to focus our minds upon those things that are "true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and excellent." There is a great deal of power in the force of our thoughts, and we hold a weighty responsibility to "take every thought captive." A worthy goal, and a difficult one. If I make a lunge for the flailing reigns of my wild thoughts, I must then manhandle them into some manner of submission. It isn't so much that my thoughts are awry, exactly. It's more that they are flavored by this rising fog of irritation that has the power to haze my entire outlook if allowed to prevail. (Gosh, we are leaning strongly into metaphor this morning.)

The things that I think are of tremendous value, and a vigorously poor attitude can derail me all day long. Instead, I need to turn my thoughts to the wonder and beauty of the purpose before me. God, Himself, planned out this day for me before I was even born. Today, I have a gift which I may chose to squander or cherish. Every thought, every action...I can be a living sacrifice, a pleasing aroma. Or I can be a real impediment to those around me in this temporal realm. "Choose for yourselves  this day Whom you will serve."

...and thus righted, I now have a firm grasp upon the reigns.
I'm glad we had this little talk.