Lysa TerKeurst | Raw Emotions

Monday, April 2

Resist the Funk

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone,” Colossians 4:6

I like this verse. I really do. As a matter of fact, I’ve challenged my Proverbs 31 Ministries team that this is our focus verse this year. Our honor code if you will.

It outlines how I want to honor God, honor one another, and honor the opportunities entrusted to me each day. I told my team that an easy way to remember this verse is with 3 G’s:

Graceful (full of grace)
Godly (seasoned with God’s truth)
ready to Go (fully prepared to answer everyone)

When I take this verse and simplify it into three G’s I can remember it. It interrupts me. It redirects me.

But most of all it challenges me.

And the part that challenges me the most is the “full of grace” part. My conversations should be full of grace. In other words, the bulk of my words should be made up of grace towards the person with whom I’m conversing. Y’all I don’t know if you’ve ever tried this, but it’s hard. Especially if that other person has the funk draped over their attitude.

You know what I’m saying?

The other day I knew I was going to have a challenging day with one of my daughters. It was just one of those days where right from the start, I could tell she was going to push when I wanted to pull. She was going to go when I wanted to pause. She was going to take when I wasn’t in the mood to give.

Uh huh. Situation.

So, thinking on this verse, I said to myself, “full of grace Lysa. Absolutely full. Not partial. Not half way. But all the way grace.”

With each response, I measured out lavish grace. Not that I didn’t correct her, I did. But I did so in calm tones.

I looked for ways to lovingly reassure her. I held her hand. I let her see my pleasure in her on my face. And I kept quiet when my nerves were begging me to do an attitude cuss.

I did really well… for a couple of hours.

And then I lost it. Completely.

But that part of it is grace too. I demonstrated the reason I can give grace is because I so desperately need it. I asked for forgiveness and decided to resist my own funk begging me to sit and wallow in my messy humanity.

I dusted myself off, and whispered, “God help me. Please, please help me.”

And I took one more step towards the grace I so desperately want to demonstrate.

I don’t know who puts “grace” to the test in your life? But how might things be different if just for today you decided to resist the funk and give grace a try with them one more time?

Remember, grace doesn’t have to be perfect to be good.

Disappointment

Here’s an article I posted several years ago that reminded me of the beautiful way God redeems. He redeems in the moment with doses of perspective. And then sometimes years later He redeems with second chances.

The same opportunity I’m referring to below has come back full circle. Amazing how that happens sometimes. I don’t know what you’re waiting for… but I’m praying your full circle comes soon.

The other day a friend asked me if I ever get disappointed.

I said yes and threw out a spiritually sound answer.

And then the next day happened.

The day where a really big disappointment whacked me upside the head and sent my heart sinking. I’d been asked to speak at a really big event — one of the biggest of my life — and then things fell apart.

Invited — thrilled — excited — honored-included –

turned into

Uninvited — bummed — sad — disillusioned — left out.

And while I still have solid spiritual perspectives to hold on to, my flesh just needs a minute to say, “stink!”

Because sometimes things do stink.

But right when I wanted say, “stink” a few more times, I spotted a bowl that’s been sitting on my dining room table for weeks now. Brooke found some caterpillars a while back, put them in a bowl, and has been holding them hostage ever since. I mean she’s been lovingly admiring them underneath a layer of cellophane.

Wouldn’t you know that those caterpillars formed cocoons inside that unlikely environment.

And then today, as I was muttering, “stink” I glanced across that bowl and sucked the word back down my throat.

The cocoons were empty.

Expecting glorious butterflies, I had to chuckle when I got right over the bowl and closely examined the product of my little girl’s hopes for new life.

Moths.

I just had to chuckle. Yet another thing in my day that wasn’t quite right.

Or was it?

When Brooke spotted the moths, she was beyond thrilled. Grabbing my hand, she led me outside, ripped off the plastic barrier, and watched the beauty of tiny wings beating — beating — beating and finally fluttering into flight.

Hmmmm.

As I watched Brooke’s sheer delight with the rich evidence of life before her, she couldn’t have cared less if it was a moth or butterfly. A creature that once only knew the dirt of the earth had just been given the gift of flight. Reaching — soaring-up — up — and away.

And with that, this simple creature pulled the corners of my mouth up into a smile.

Disappointment only stings as long as I let it.

The winner from last week’s giveaway is Kristi Baugh. Congrats! Email info@lysaterkeurst.com to collect your Mommy encouragement packs.

A complete waste of time

Brooke got in the car the other day and sighed. It was one of those sighs that said, “I’m going through something, but unless you ask me, I’m not freely revealing this information.”

I casually inquired, “Tell me the high from your day and your low.”

“Mom,” she groaned letting me know she secretly loved that I was asking but all the middle school in her was making her play it cool.

I waited quietly knowing she’d eventually tell me. And she did. Something hard had happened at school that day.

I put my hand on hers, “I’m sorry sweetheart. I know that makes you sad.”

To my surprise, this normally emotional child said, “Actually no. I’ve decided sometimes being sad or mad over stuff like this is a compete waste of my time.”

And just like that she smiled and was ready to get on with her day. No tears. No tirade. No lamenting and wearing herself out with a tidal wave of emotion while over-processing this situation.

Just a 13 year old’s decision that this wasn’t worth all that. The child turned tutor. The young one doling out wisdom.

Sometimes being sad or mad over stuff like this is a complete waste of my time.

I’ve mulled her statement over in my mind a hundred times. It’s good. It’s truth.

Indeed there are things to be sad about… but so much of what pulls at my emotions isn’t worth the time and energy I give it.

I love this verse from James 1:19-21 in the Message:

Post this at all the intersections, dear friends. Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God’s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation garden of your life.”

Is there something you’ve been sad or mad about that maybe is a waste of your time? Ask God to help you have a different perspective. Leave a comment today letting me know how I can pray for you… it would be my honor.