Hey, Sweet Things! God prompted me to throw a Monday challenge out on Twitter early this morning and on my way to work it occurred to me that I should extend it to my dear fellow Siestas. Here’s the challenge: to go through this entire day (starting now, in case it’s a little late) until shutting our eyes on our pillows tonight without a single criticism or complaint. Consider it a deliberate exercise in Philippians 2:14-15. What prompted the challenge was my own feeling that I could get cranky today if I let myself. (I didn’t have room to explain it on Twitter.) I’ve told you before about my sleep issue (it runs in my family of origin and, no, I don’t drink caffeine later in the day) and a lot of days I just shrug it off but somehow, when Monday morning follows a short Sunday night, I feel fussier about it. This morning I could see the handwriting on the wall. I made up my mind to choose joy in the power of Jesus’ Name. While turning those pedals on my exercise bike, I told the Lord out loud that I wanted to make it all day long without voicing one single complaint. I could not believe how quickly my mood improved and I feel as happy as one who’s had 10 solid hours of sleep.
Now, let me quickly say this. I’m not a fan of living in denial. Some complaints are legitimate and NEED VOICING! I already had one of those this morning on a good friend’s behalf who is in rough situation. So, what do you do then? Voice it to God! Lord have mercy, don’t think I’m posing as some huge example here this morning. I’m just asking you if you want to join me in being very deliberate about our mouths and our attitudes today. If you have a valid complaint, take it to God and, if possible, say it to Him out loud. It increases the sense that you really did get it off your chest. Sometimes a silent prayer doesn’t carry the same power as one spoken with passion and holy intent. Make some declarations today so even your enemy knows you mean business.
What do we do if we get to noon having already blown it? START OVER!!! How many times we have to start over helps us see how habitual our complaints may be. We may have no idea that some of the people around us think we’re habitual complainers and perpetual nay sayers. We are also part of a culture that shouts from every corner of social media, “If you think it, say it!” and the discipline of self-restraint is circling the drain. Lastly, it just doesn’t help. Murmuring and complaining and dwelling on how much something or someone annoys us only adds to the bad mood.
Think up, Siestas! Let’s choose joy! And let’s choose it out loud. No time to proof this post and write it well. Lots of work to do but I’m doing it with joy. I’m crazy about you guys and think of you every day.
Jesus loves you. This I know.
I know I am a day late (because I am heading off to bed – 9pm EST) and I just read this post. So I will try this tomorrow.
Dang it. I didn’t even make it through this post without getting on my husband about rinsing the sink after he shaves. Oh my. Is there any hope? For me that is not my husband. I’m pretty sure I know the answer about my husband. See, there I go again. Why are these verses in the Bible anyway….I usually skip over ones like these. JUST KIDDING. These may have to be my next memory verses. Lord Help me!!!
Thanks for mentoring us Beth!!
OOOKK! I did it! And even received a benefit for temporarily controlling my tongue.
Short true event: I found out last night that the two apartments across from mine were burglarized this past weekend. The people were livid. This is a a gated community. We pay extra for “security”! I did not sleep very well last night. Even checked both of my doors 5-6 times and left a light on.
When I called the managers today, I decided (via Beth’s challenge) to be calm and kind.
An hour later, the management decided to provide exclusive, extra safety for my apartment at no cost to myself. This is a big deal!
A gentle answer/reaction turned away my wrath. Being wise as a serpent and calm as a dove with my mouth brought favor. Now, if I will only practice this again tomorrow! I’ve often wondered if the tongue is the first new thing that we are given when we go to heaven. 🙂
Beth,
I love this challenge. It is so easy to be grumpy and not even realize it. Your timing of this is a God stop. My pastor’s message yesterday was on The Power of Praise from Acts 16:16-40 which is about Paul and Silas singing hymns in prison. If we are being grumpy and critical and complaining then obviously we are not praising the Lord. Pastor’s message pointed out that our praise leads to a powerful witness, opens the door for God to do something powerful (jailer and his family were all saved) and gives us victory. He challenged us to praise the Lord during those annoying times. I think God is trying to tell me something through your challenge and my pastor’s message.
Blessings!
This is a great idea! Thanks for sharing. I read this late today, so I will do this on Tuesday!
I am a recovering perfectionist with 2 toddlers in my house. This should be interesting! 😉
Thanks!!
Dear Miss Beth, Personally I think the 10 hours of sleep all in one go thing is overrated. I read somewhere, and I really do wish I knew where, that before electricity invaded our lives people had two sleeps per 24 hour period. They went to bed around sunset, had a good few hours, then the whole village would up and feed the animals, mix some dough for the morning, churn some butter, eat a meal and then sleep again until sun up. And then there would be a sweet SIESTA in the middle of the afternoon.
Now I do live my life this way except I don’t have cows to feed in the middle of the darkness. A friend once told me that God calls His warriors to pray at 3am (and it is surprising how many of my friends are awake at 3am) so I do that instead of feeding the cows. Any woman I have shared the 3am thing with has turned it to glorious profit for the kingdom. They all say it is a most magical, mystical time to be tucked in the Saviour’s arms.
This is one thing I would love to change about our society: less anxiety about the 10 hour thing and less electricity interfering with our natural clocks….and more praying, of course!
Since I just read this with only 2 more hours left in the day…guess I’ll try it tomorrow. ha ha We do this on Thursdays in our house and for everything negative or complaint we are tempted to say, we turn it into a thanksgiving or a praise. For instance if tempted to complain about beans for dinner again, we praise The Lord for food on the table (the whole “beans and rice and Jesus Christ motto thingy”. It can be challenging but it keeps us mindful. Thanks for the challenge Beth! Love ya!
Wow! Really had a rough day after taking up the challenge!!! Pretty much lost all of my Joy, until just now, I checked Joanne’s Simple wife blog and read an awesome update about her and my Joy is back!!! Thank you Lord!!!
This is something the Lord’s been teaching me at home, to combat my complaints with thanksgiving. Every time I’m tempted to complain – even in my thoughts, I am learning to stop and immediately find something to be thankful for instead. For example, when tempted to complain that my children have spilled their milk for the tenth time in the 15 minutes since I mopped, I thank God for those children, for the milk, for the mop, for the house to spill the milk in, for the reminder that people are more important than spills, for His goodness to remind me so, etc. It sets things in the completely opposite direction. This mindset has revolutionized even the mundane! Our God is good like that 🙂 2 Cor 10:5
It is after 9pm now, most of the day has passed, thank you for challenging us to be positive and grateful, and full of joy. It is amazing how much more room I had for joy in my day when I chose to not let negative and critical attitudes have their way with me!
The Joy of the Lord is my Strength!
I read your blog this morning and accepted the challenge. I didn’t make it through the day but it was worth it. It sure made me more aware. thank you!
Kathryn
Glendale, AZ
Wow! Great word and much needed for my tongue. That’s why I am so glad I don’t get your emails until late at night! Works for me tonight. I might be able to keep positive until midnight as it is already 10:30!!!
However, I know I need this so I will commit to being positive tomorrow. Praying for God’s mercy!
Thanks so much.
Midge
Well, It’s 10:30 pm here in FL. I just received the LPM Blog via email, so it’s a bit late for me. But I bet I can keep from complaining for the next half hour before bed! HA! But I will take the challenge for tomorrow. And I’m sure you get all kinds of advice on insomnia, but from one who has had it for the past 5 years, I will sum up in 3 words what FINALLY helped! Bioidentical Progesterone Cream! (I also had a hysterectomy 10 years ago, and never thought of using progesterone until I saw a Doc who specialized in HRT/longevity health.) I rarely lose sleep since using it the past 5 months. I fought having to use HRT but I was miserable, and it worked. I also use Bioidentical estrogen cream. I work on keeping all other risk factors to a minimum. But either way, I will take quality of life over quantity. Hope that helps.
Caught this challenge on Twitter 3 minutes after you posted it Beth, and it surely redirected my entire day! Praise Jesus! I lit this fire under my flocks wooly little feet and oh it rocked some of their days too! Thanks for livin’ it real and keepin’ us SHARP! Keepin’ quiet until bedtime : )
good thing this challenge was for today 😉 im giving birth to my first born tomorrow ! lol my doctor told me last week that i had tons to complain about … im over 9 months pregnant! however, its been nothing but glorious and i cannot wait to meet our little boy tomorrow! such a blessing and miracle!
although, for my husbands sake, i will try so very hard not to complain tomorrow! i want him to enjoy his sons birth as much as he can !
Hi!
I just got around to reading this at 9:45pm, I guess wanted me to experience some victory over my mouth today before continuing the challenge tomorrow – I know it won’t have the adorable sound of “Monday Challenge” on Tuesday, but I’m going to do it anyway, and God help me, I’m going to keep doing it. May He teach me the self control needed to tame my tongue so His name may be glorified in my life!
Thank you for posting this challenge – the Lord knew I needed to hear it again!
OMG…… I just finished praying about this same thing and then I got on the computer. I know this is for me !!!
Hey Beth! Sorry this is so late but @ 9:37 pm, I want to take the challenge!! Last week we were “snowed in” for 4 days and I have to say, I was able to do some serious Bible study!! We had a great turnout for women’s Bible study tonite..just love this group of ladies!! We are doing the Inheritance study and we were all in awe over what Our Great God has blessed us with more than we can imagine!! We just have to let go and let Him take us on a wild ride..cause He is the Great I AM!!!
How hilarious that you would post this today! Just this afternoon I posted on my Facebook page “Okay, Monday…BACKOFF! I have authority here! And I say, that this IS going to be a good afternoon!”
You know what? Despite the external hard drive dying, and some mysterious 5 pounds appearing on the scale…( well, maybe I did over do it this weekend on the dip) It WAS a Good Afternoon! Thank you Lord!
What a great idea! My three year old thought I was saying “cookies in your purse” generation instead of “crooked and perverse” generation when we memorized the Philippians scripture together. My 2 year old thought it was awesome, too. Do you know I didn’t have a single cookie in the house? Tomorrow we will get cookies and eat them out of my purse. Or my diaper bag, whatever.
I have a feeling, Miss Beth, that you and the Lord won’t mind me taking up this challenge tomorrow since I’m mere moments away from my laying my head on the pillow. Since we missed four days of school last week due to the ice/snow, and the local meteorologists are promising more for Tuesday night/Wednesday/Thursday, this won’t be a wasted exercise for me and my sister teachers at school tomorrow! We’ll enjoy the kids tomorrow and whatever other days we get to be with them this week, whether that’s one or three!
Hope everyone has a wonderful, warm, and safe week. 🙂
This is so timely. Wow, this a.m. I posted on my FB status that “Well, it’s Monday, attitude, attitude, attitude. Keep it in check.” Mondays are always hard for me as well. Thank you for the reminder to be joyful in all things and EVERY day! 🙂
I’m going to try this tomorrow as I am reading this and it is past 10 p.m. I love being a part of Siestaville! God’s Bless You!
MommaBeth –
I actually saw the challenge via Twitter this morning and thought… today? Really? And I sorta was in! I was on a 5 hour car ride home from a long family weekend. Loaded van with my man and three small kiddos – one complaining of feeling sick JUST after all three had ‘gotten over’ a week long flu bug. Poor husband having a hard time on the phone with a client situation and there I was. So your challenge was timely. I had a couple of ‘FAIL’ moments when we unpacked and on a phone call with a girlfriend, but I think I got back on my horse. Thanks for always pointing us back to life like Jesus wants it for us! Praying for you and that you enjoy sweet rest tonight.
Got your tweet this morning and decided to take the challenge!
Then out of the blue, my son’s 4th grade teacher called and needed a last minute chaperone to go on the class fieldtrip to the Denver Mint and Denver Capital (a 4 hour bus ride mind you). WOW did that put a spin on the day.
BUT…I did it!!! I spent the whole day with 40 4th graders and a bunch of VERY secular mom’s and didn’t have a single glitch! YYYYEEEEAAAAA! God is good and He gave me an awesome view of a great group of kids. And I might add – Satan added all sorts of hoops for me to jump thru to trip me up but to no avail. Go God!! Yaaahhhoooo!
Thanks for the great challenge and some insight to a more prayerful path.
Blessings!
Kelli in Colorado
Wow! I’m impressed! Good job!
I’m just now reading this, so I’ll make it my “Tuesday Challenge.” I have to say that I’m probably going to want to complain about not being able to complain 🙂 I’m in a very frustrating place in my life..but like I’ve heard you say, sometimes you just have to start saying something and say it over and over until you begin to feel it. Thanks for the challenge!
I’m laughing b/c I guess God didn’t want to watch me live a day of “start overs” so He just made sure I didn’t get online til late tonight!! Hope all you Southern Siestas (which, from my perch, means every darling one of you in the other 49 states) are starting to thaw out and warm up after your rip roarin’ snowstorm ~
LOVE seeing this as a challenge and since I’m seeing it at bedtime, I’m taking up the challenge for tomorrow. Thank you, Lord, for the sweet fellowship here that pushes us in the right direction!
It’s 11:26pm Monday night and I’m just now seeing it, but boy did it hit me between the eyes! I’m going to do this as my Tuesday Challenge! 😉
Thanks Beth!
The Joy of The Lord is our strength.
His Joy is new and fresh every morning.
We share that Joy when we fellowship with Him and each other.
We choose Joy!Sisters’!
Dear Beth, I didn’t get the blog in my email until just now, so I’m going to take up the challenge tomorrow – and one day at a time the rest of this week, Lord willing! My precious daughter (11) was just saying “Mom, we should work the rest of this week to stop blaming ourselves for everything” (and realize the devil is the guilt guru)! We both tend to grovel in the dust and ignore the truth that we are precious and dearly loved daughters of the King! (Hmmm…I wonder where she learned that?) Carrying untruths like that around makes a girl more prone to gripe, even if it’s about herself. Lord help us!
Boy did I blow it today.
Just got home from our 4th session in Living Beyond Yourself, so we challenged each other to “choose joy”, and left with an “on ya”!! Although it’s time to get to sleep here, it’s a challenge for me for tomorrow and the days to come. We are being so blessed with our Bible Study!!
Will do my best to put a filter on my thoughts and words while removing any filters in my prayer life. Cannot wait until Thursday when I go to church and do week 3 of “Jesus the One and Only” Praise & Amen!
I am just now getting to read this! Tomorrow is a new in OK and I will start it off with This is the day the Lord hath made and I WILL REJOICE and be glad in it!! I have printed your challenge off and am taking it to work to share with my sisters as we are getting new printers tomorrow and more snow tomorrow and I WILL REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!!! God bless you sisters!!
Man! I wished I would have read this BEFORE coaching our game tonight! I didn’t complain too loudly when the referee called the foul that sent our senior starter to the bench!!
In reality, thanks very much for this post. I too can almost feel my mood turn ugly some mornings after a short night, when things don’t go quite right. But although we can’t choose our circumstances, we can choose our attitude!
Just got this on my computer now & since it’s tomorrow already, I’ll take the challenge for Tuesday but especially for Wednesday. I volunteer @ a crisis pregnancy center as a receptionist & when every one seems to need my attention at the same time my stress level rises and though I may not “say” anything all the staff around me knows I’m not doing well. I think I can complain & criticize without using words. So my prayer Lord is when everything feels like chaos around me let me cry out to You then radiate the PEACE of Your Presence in the and around me. Barb, Shelby Twp., MI
Great idea, Beth. I’m with ya!
Oh how true in the words you have written. Not but five minutes before I received your blog in my e-mail did I have a “moment” as described above. What a reminder to speak it over to God and not “turn” on others. Thank you for a much needed reminder. I will do this all day on Tuesday — twill be hard but I want to do this for an entire day!! THANK YOU and giving all the glory to Jesus!!
Wish I had read this earlier !!!! I was a bit cranky today. It is now 10:12pm so I’ll take the challenge for tomorrow. I’ll have to leave myself a note so I will remember. age you know.
love that….tip for your sleep deprivation…head to Whole Foods or a good vitamin shop and pick up magnesium…..take it about a half hour before you go to sleep, it REALLY will help for a good nights rest 🙂 Sweet dreams!
I just complained to my husband about work and then opened up this blog! Bummer. It’s late on Monday night, so I’ll take this as my Tuesday challenge 🙂 I’m also adding this verse to my Scripture memory list later this month. Thanks for encouraging us to be intentional about following Christ!
I will have to give this a “go” tomorrow.
Today I missed the mark. I am with my elderly mother who has “control” lined with fear as her way of operating in the world. After a series of small strokes over the past 10 years, her short term memory is shot and we feel like we are living in the “twilight” zone with her.
Yes, I like your idea. I’m going to give it a try and see if my mother’s negative “victim” mentality has a shift. Worth a try as I leave her and drive home. Oh, how I pray to enter and pass through the last season of life with a gentle spirit and grace. Thank you for the great recommendation and blessings
Funny that I come here and read this because the post I read just before this talked about this book: http://www.amazon.com/Complaint-Free-World-Complaining-Enjoying/dp/B00394DGS2?ie=UTF8&tag=holyexper-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969
I never thought of myself as a complainer, but maybe I should pay more attention. It seems God is pointing this out for some reason.
For some reason I did not receive my email for this post until 9:30pm! but it’s a good challenge anyway and I will do it on Tuesday!
My pastor, Craig Groeschel, just did a message series called, “I Quit” and one of them was “I Quit Complaining”! Here’s the link: http://www.lifechurch.tv/watch/i-quit/2
Another was “I Quit Living in Fear”, in which he used you as a reference, Beth, and your story about living in fear of losing your husband! (can be reached at the same link)
Wow – I think the Lord is hammering a point home in my life. I’m in the middle of week 6 of Believing God – all about our words/mouths; our pastor preached on the power of our tongues/words on Sunday; and now this! I hear you Lord! And I thank you for gently, if firmly, reminding me of some things I had let “gather dust” in my walk with You. Your steadfast love is my hope, Your power is my assurance of victory!
Count me in. I am in Lisbon, Portugal so it is Tuesday morning. A great day to stop complaining. I’m trusting in His strength!!
Beth…I read this one day later….this morning at 4:30am EST. I never sleep well and I’m up getting ready to go “spin”. I spent most of the day yesterday “complaining and arguing”. So, although your challenge is not for today it IS FOR ME FOR TODAY!!! Thank you and I love how God continually uses His people and His Word to not just change my life but change my day!
I choose joy!
Thanks for the challenge.
Blessings,
Kim
Count me in!