I mentioned before that I was wrong to think I could do this on my own. I'm going to be weak and have moments where I don't think I have a problem. Typically this happens because I want to be like everyone else and just have a couple, but for me "a couple" is not in my vocabulary. Last Sunday I taught Sunday School for a couple of kids that go to my church. Usually, my mother leads it or my sister, but both of them were out of town. I felt a nagging sensation to lead it in their stead. My first thought, "Okay, but what do I teach them?" Being a teacher does not mean we have lesson plans stashed away in our brains for a rainy day. It's not like there's a filing cabinet in my brain I can thumb through until I find the right lesson. Needless to say I felt hesitant and unworthy to teach. Mind you, this is all a 3 minute conversation that took place in my head.
I started going through the usual stories that kids learn at church, David and Goliath, Adam and Eve, The dawn of creation...but none of them seemed right. I told God that if he truly wanted me to teach I needed a lesson to give them that they needed to hear. After researching on my phone the lesson of the armor of God came to my mind and I knew this was it. At first I was thinking how cool this lesson would be for the kids but as I taught it I realized that it was a good sermon for me as well. When you think about going into battle what do you imagine adorning yourself with? What do you think you would need or require to defeat the person or thing coming at you? The answers the kids gave were pretty standard: a sword, armor, a war face.
As adults we fight battles daily. We have that one person in our lives, you know, Karen from work. This woman (man) intimidates you, belittles you, makes you feel stupid, or personally tries to exclude you from damn near everything you work so hard to be a part of. Damn you Karen! Perhaps it's not a person maybe it's foody Fridays. That chocolate cake that calls out your name when you know you are on that special diet so you can fit into the perfect dress for the wedding coming up. Damn you chocolate cake! What do you equip yourself with to fight these battles?
Me personally if I could have chosen, this would be my list:
1. A quick wit
2. A sharp tongue
3. A tough skin
4. A full stomach
5. Charisma
All of these things would make my battles easy, quick, and victory would be mine! The second round of sobriety has brought me clarity. All of these things bring about dissension, anxiety, anger, and ruminating. They never made me feel better no matter how a confrontation ended. The lesson I gave those kids reminded me that I will be tempted to slip back into my old life style, WHY, because it's easy, I know what to expect and it's a quick fix that leads to temporary happiness when I'm feeling distraught. If I'm to remain on this path, I need help from God. Every day that I wake up I read a short devotional, I pray and I write in my prayer journal. I remind myself that every day is a battle and, as much as it feels like it, my battle is not against other people or things, my battle is against temptation and my own weaknesses. I need to be prepared to face those battles with my armor fully equipped. This means being honest with myself and others, remaining peaceful when things get heated, having faith, living right, Praying, using God's word and my conscience to fight it off, and choosing salvation over everything else.
When we are trying to live better it pays to handle tough situations with the best version of yourself instead of the roughest. Approaching every day with a firm foundation of happiness helps you to fight off anything that comes your way, yes, ESPECIALLY all the Karens of the world.
The Boos to this Show:
1. If you aren't religious you may have to tweak what your morning routine is.
2. Waking up extra early can be a tough commitment.
3. Handling things this way takes lots of practice, failure, and time.
Handling this the right way doesn't make it the easy way and being born in the "easy" century makes this not an answer I prefer. I want instant gratitude but instant has proven to be more of a pitfall than an easy win.
The Encores to this Play:
1. My days start off more hopeful than they used to and I feel encouraged to conquer anything and everything.
2. This reminds me to be prepared because our enemy prowls around like a roaring lion looking to devour.
3. Having something to lean on constantly lifts a heavy load from my shoulders.
You don't have to be religious to realize that there are better ways to handle things in life. Often times those better ways take more work and require practice. If you keep spreading angst you'll get it back, but if you spread peace this will be what you get back in return. Focus on the Higher Power, for me this is God. It pulls you out of temptation and strengthens you to fight battles another day.
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