Mommy Meltdowns
by Drenda Keesee
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6, NIV.)
When my children were little, they would sometimes throw tantrums when they didn’t get their way. I had two choices when that happened: I could react in anger and frustration, or I could reach for self-control and do my best to remain calm. I didn’t always react perfectly, but most of the time, I was mindful enough to remain calm and use it as a teaching moment. Occasional tantrums from young children are very common; they are developing and learning, and they push boundaries to test the rules. Eventually, as children grow up, the tantrums end, or, at least, they should.
How often do you throw spiritual tantrums at God’s feet?
Spiritual tantrums often result when…
you are operating in your own desires for your life and overlooking God’s plan. God wants you to go to Him for everything. He wants to be your mentor, your advocate, and your teacher.
Children throw tantrums because they are still learning to control their emotions. As adults, we are called to have more control and to demonstrate a faith response versus a fear response. Here are a few simple steps you can use to keep your frustrations from turning into meltdowns:
What is the source of your frustration? Are you waiting on something you want or something God wants? Knowing the difference is half the battle. When we are operating in faith and trusting in God’s perfect timing, our frustrations are cast down.
Are you spending time in prayer? Proverbs 3:5-6 instruct us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Frustration comes when we are operating in fear. Take your fears and worries to God and He will direct you.
Know when to take a time-out. This is not the kind of time-out that we use for little children, but sometimes adults do need a moment to compose themselves. If your face is getting hot with frustration, walk away, breathe, and refocus your mind on something positive—and the earlier the better!
Prayer: God, guard my heart and help me turn my frustration into an attitude of gratitude. I know Your love for me is beyond measure. Guide me into your presence so that I may discern your will. Amen.
~Drenda
ps…Are you looking for a good church? Be sure and listen on Saturday evening or catch the 3 services on Sunday for Faith Life Church!
Drenda Keesee’s contagious zeal and humorous personal experiences help make her ministry of spiritual, emotional, and relational wholeness one that will bless your life and spark a new fire in your spirit.
A wife of over 30 years and a mother of five children, Drenda has ministered at churches, seminars, and conferences, and through the mediums of television and radio, for more than 20 years.
Her books, The New Vintage Family, Better Than You Think, and She Gets It are available wherever books are sold. In these heartfelt books, Drenda shares her personal journey and the life lessons that have brought her to where she is today, as well as practical answers that all people need to live a joyful life.
Drenda and her husband Gary founded Faith Life Now, a ministry designed to spread the message of freedom in the areas of finances, faith, marriage, and family. Tune in for their weekly messages here. Faith Life Now hosts conferences worldwide and sponsors both Fixing the Money Thing, which Drenda co-hosts with her husband Gary and Drenda.
Through their own life experiences, the Keesee’s have found the principles from God’s Word to be powerful and effective. At one point, Drenda was a young, suicidal feminist with no hope of ever being “good enough” for her own standards of perfection. She never wanted the “inconvenience” of a husband or children, and she was on her own path to success. But the stress of trying to achieve perfection and perform for love left her broken and used. She had success, but it was nothing compared to the pain and loneliness it had also brought.
That’s when God got a hold of her heart. It was there—at her lowest point—that she found the One who accepted and loved her, faults and all. Since that transformation, Drenda has had a passion to reach women who find themselves where she once was.
She married Gary after attending college, and there she found herself in a personal boot camp of sorts. She says, “I cried and told God, ‘I can do anything but be a wife and mother.’” She committed to learning how to do it God’s way. Through the many years of raising their children and struggling to make ends meet, Drenda learned from their mistakes. “I didn’t know how to be a wife and mother, but God saved our marriage, taught us how to parent our children for success, showed us how to have financial success, and then the irony of all ironies, He called us to ministry.” It’s truly because of these life experiences that Drenda can now share so many insightful principles for people who are now going through the same struggles.
