Defeating Grumpiness

I don’t know if your family is like our family, but we did an awful lot of traveling over the Christmas holidays. And traveling can be exhausting.

The week before Christmas we decided to take the kids to Disney World. We live just 3-1/2 hours from the “Happiest Place on Earth” and we wanted them to experience the joy of Disney before we moved out of state this summer.

The kids had a great time and they did amazingly well. It was hot and Disney is anything but relaxing, but we enjoyed our trip and made lots of lasting memories.

We came home for a few days to do laundry and re-pack our suitcases and then we were off to visit my family in North Louisiana. It was relaxing to be in my childhood home after the hectic week at Disney, and we all enjoyed being pampered by my mom and hanging out with family that we don’t get to see nearly enough.

After spending a few days with my family, we traveled to New Orleans to spend some time with Peter’s family. Again, it was nice to eat delicious food while hanging out with Peter’s sister, her husband, their daughter, and Peter’s mom.

But as we got back home and began unpacking, taking down our Christmas decorations, and cleaning out the clutter, I found myself becoming grumpy. I easily slipped into a bad mood and couldn’t figure out why.

And then I realized something: with all the traveling, I hadn’t been in God’s Word for about two weeks. And that was two weeks too long.

I am one of those people who gets up early before the kids wake up so I can spend time in God’s Word. Sometimes I do an actual Bible study, while other times I just pick a passage of scripture or a chapter in the Bible to read. But with all the travel and having to share beds and hotel rooms with the kids, I hadn’t taken the time to sit with the Lord. And it showed.

One night I was particularly grumpy. It was nearing bedtime for the little kids but I was still folding laundry. The children were disobeying my instructions to brush their teeth and get ready for bed and I was losing my patience with them. Peter heard my frustrations, and mercifully, he took over bedtime that night. It was a grace-filled moment on his part to give me a little space.

Sometimes we need others to step into our lives and show us a little grace and mercy. To take over when our patience wears thin.

Galatians 6:2 instructs us to “carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (NIV) 

I am thankful for a husband who often carries my burdens, putting my needs above his own.

And I am thankful for the ability to get back into a routine now that the holidays are over so I can spend consistent time with the Lord each morning before my day begins.

For me, spending time in God’s Word and enlisting support when I feel like I’m at the end of my rope help pull me out of my grumpiness.

How do you defeat bad moods when they occur in your life?

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