Is It The Kids' Attitudes? The Husband? The Mess? Why Angry Moms Yell...
Dear Angry Yelling Moms,
I only want to write happy positive words to you today. I want to write something that will make you just feel good. But I can't.
I can't because if we really want to change the hearts of 14,000 women and if we really want 14,000 homes to be lights on a hill, then we have to talk about owning our sin and we have to talk about surrender and we have to talk about about obedience.
We are not angry yelling moms because our kids throw balls in the house. We are not angry yelling moms because of our child's medical conditions. We are not angry yelling moms because our husbands are not spiritual leaders in our homes. We are not angry yelling moms because we have 4 kids under age 6 and we are tired. We are not angry yelling moms because we feel alone. We are not angry yelling moms because of our pasts.
We are angry yelling moms because of our own sin.
We are angry yelling moms because we have not believed God when He tells us that there is a way of escape when we are tempted.
We are angry yelling moms because we are not obeying.
We are angry yelling moms because we are not willing to die to ourselves.
We are angry yelling moms because we are not dealing with our own hearts first before trying to “fix” everyone and everything else around us.
We are angry yelling moms because we are not willing to go through the pain of sacrificing ourselves for the cross and for God's glory.
Consider Jesus. He lay on the ground, in the dirt, in the Garden of Gethsemane. He faced the greatest temptation of His life and it brought Him to His face in prayer three times while his friends slept nearby. His agony over the temptation and what He faced in anticipation of bearing the sin of the world for all time and separation from God caused Him to sweat like blood as He begged God to take it from Him.
He wrestled with the temptation to walk away, but He yielded. He yielded to God and did not give in to the temptation, but surrendered to the cross. He comes away from the garden with renewed strength, and the power of God that is in Him for life and Godliness is released within Him because of His obedience. He is able to face the cross with dignity, head held high, and with stalwart and glorious obedience.
The result was life changing for YOU.
It's true for us too. When you are faced with temptation, you have an opportunity to deny yourself and obey God by choosing the right path. And when you do, you will grow in your walk with God and be filled with God's strength and ability to impact your children and your husband with all the power of our great God.
Changing your anger requires absolute radical surrender.
You and I will never amount to anything spiritually unless we learn to absolutely surrender and obey. And we will impact generations when we do!
God says:
In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. Hebrews 5:7-8
Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 2:18
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2
He gets it. Jesus understands our temptations. He endured the greatest temptations of all, but “For the joy set before him he endured”.
Is the joy of your salvation enough to motivate you to put an end to the anger? I pray it is so, dear sisters.
I imagine 14,000 homes where moms wake up different tomorrow. Homes where gentle answers turn away wrath. Homes where women love others even when they don't deserve it. Homes where women stand in peace and strength of the Lord. Homes where women look like trees that flourish even in the desert. 14,000 homes where women bear fruit no matter what. Homes where women realize that their problems are opportunities for God to prove His faithfulness. Homes where women are on the front-lines of raising a new generation who sees firsthand what it is to live like they have been redeemed, radically graced, and passionately devoted to doing right over and over and over again with patience, self-control, love, joy, peace, godliness, and wisdom. Homes where kids are loved so radically that they have no memories of being punished-just as God removed our punishment and guilt and placed it on Jesus at the cross.
That moment of temptation when you are tired, and your kids are being kids, and you want to explode, is the moment. It's that very moment that is the test-will you stop and go in the opposite direction, choosing to pray and ask God to help you? Will you deny your natural instinct to anger and yelling by replying with love and a gentle answer? Or will you give in?
The only place you can learn and grow, mom, is in the place of temptation.
Let's grow together. Let's surrender as Jesus did. And let's come away with renewed passion for Christ and with lives radically changed to love God and love others.
Nothing else matters more today.
Much love to you, sisters.