Where to begin? I guess first of all I have to brag a bit that I have FINALLY gotten into a workout routine I'm sticking to. It's been 2 months of hitting the gym or swimming laps 3 - 5 times a week. Go me! I'm also trying hard to avoid refined sugars and carbs during the week, but indulging (often over-indulging, I confess) on the weekends.  And I'm feeling so much better emotionally.  

Yesterday I worked out with a friend who will one day make it into my catalogue of "Bible Studies with Flesh on", as she sharpens me like no other iron-to-iron friend ever has before. Usually God uses her to sharpen my spirit, but yesterday He used her to sharpen me physically. You see, Amber is is an avid worker-outer. Needless to say, today it hurt to lower myself into a chair. I texted her at 6am with the simple word, "Ouch." After swimming laps during my children's' swim lessons at 8am I texted her again, "Double Ouch." But while my body felt sore, my heart was full and I was happy.

And then around noon I began to lose control emotionally. I was exhausted, the boys were exhausted, we had too many errands to run and Dr. appointments to hit, then off to pick up big brother from school and take him to his piano lesson. The boys were all crying by this time and I was out of gas. So we swung through the take-out line at Mickey D's only to discover I'd left my wallet in our swim bag, which was at this point inconveniently sitting inside the front door of our little home. Brody started to cry "Why can't they just give me my double cheese booger now and we can come back and pay them money tomorrow?" Wasn't that Popeye's friend Wimpey's line? "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a Hamburger today."

Anyway, we made it home on fumes, since gas stations surprisingly don't accept IOUs either. I shoo'd the boys to the bathroom to wash up for dinner and grabbed a great big handful of left over chocolate Easter candy. Then whipped up cheesy eggs, fried a ham steak in butter, placed those thick slices of porky goodness between thick slices of butter bread, and poured tall glasses of chocolate milk all around. It was ready in a flash and eaten even faster.

NOT ONE OF THESE DINNER ITEMS IS ON MY DIET!

Still I wanted more. I threw together a casserole dish of stuffing to accompany tomorrow night's purposefully lean menu of pork chops and spinach salad, and then shoved a batch of sour cream banana muffins into the oven for tomorrow's breakfast. I substituted not one fatty ingredient for a low fat alternative. 1/2 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 3 whole eggs, sour cream, and white flour! I only stopped when I started to feel sick to my stomach and keeled over in pain. It was them I realized what had happened; my monthly guest had arrived for the rest of the week.

sigh.

I guess this was a long intro to a simple post:

I remember the awful cramps I'd get in HIgh School.  One day I made it out of class and into the hallway just in time to throw up from the pain.  After the mess was cleaned up and I was home for the afternoon I decided to change my moaning and my thinking about this whole womanly who-ha-ha. From then on, each time I felt like grumbling, I turned my complaints to Praise. "Thank you, Lord" my 16 year old self would say, "Thank you for making me a woman. Thank you that I'll likely have children one day because this cycle of mine ticks on so regularly. Thank you that when I am weak, You are strong. Thank you that a good night of sleep always helps, and tomorrow won't be so tough. Thank you that it's only one week each month and that I don't have chronic pain that torments me every day... Thank you... Thank you... Thank you..."

18 years later and I'm still looking for ways to turn my complaints to praise. For a while I was bitter about my husband's travel / work schedule, but have come to praise the Lord for his opportunities and admirable work-ethic; I've also had to surrender my grumbling heart when child-correction seems never ending, and instead Praise the Lord that each opportunity is a gift to point these young ones in the way they should go.

Where are you grumbling today? Are you caring for an aging parent?  Working as a full-time mother and carrying a full-time job?  Do you struggle to show respect toward your mother-in-law? Is it eating away at you that your husband never plans dates for you anymore?  Are your children constantly asking for snacks and trips to the local pool when you would like a moment to sit and rest? How can you turn those grumbles to praises? Make a plan today. Make a plan and lift your hands. Your Spirit is sure to follow.

 "A joyful (praising) heart is good medicine,

but a broken (complaining) spirit dries up the bones."

(Proverbs 17:22)