Stop the negative thoughts!

I strongly believe that one of the biggest/worst ways a woman can "tear her house down with her own hands" (Proverbs 14:1) is through her thought-life.  Dwelling on negative thoughts is acidic, and it will rob your joy and destroy your view of your husband, your children, and more.  (Trust me, I know this from experience.)

It is so much better to take our negative thoughts captive and replace them with God's life-giving truths!

Here is a snippit on this topic from a three-part series called "Are They Fighting?" from the Titus 2 blog, written by Teri Maxwell.*

>> What you do with your thoughts can make all the difference in your responses to your children when they are not being nice to each other. Second Corinthians 10:5 tells us to take our thoughts captive and bring them into the obedience of Christ.

That means you can think, “I hate it when my children fight with each other. They know better. I am sick and tired of having to deal with them time after time, day after day.” Or you can think, “Lord Jesus, I am so blessed to be the mother of these children. Thank You for entrusting them to me. Help me, Lord, to direct their thoughts and their behavior to express the love You want them to have for each other. Lord Jesus, I know You are working in their lives, and You are working in my life. Thank You, thank You, thank You, Jesus.”

Which thoughts do you believe will help you have a patient and loving attitude toward your children when you correct them for wrong behavior? Which thoughts will give you stamina and determination to be consistent in working with your children? Which thoughts will allow you to put a smile on your face and move on with your day positively after a situation with the children?

I can attest to having done it both ways, and I was way more successful and way happier with myself when I took the route of the second set of thoughts. The first set hurtled me into a pit of self-pity from which it was almost impossible to climb out. The second set put my mind on the Lord Jesus, the gratitude He tells me to have, and the possibility of a brighter future. <<

* Teri Maxwell is the mother of eight children, grandma of seven, and she began homeschooling in 1985. All of her children have graduated from homeschool, and three are married. Teri is blessed to be able to share her heart at homeschool conferences and has been writing monthly articles of encouragement for moms since 1990.