Recognize this face? Yep! It’s “Grumpy Cat”. Lately, I have worn this look a bit too often.
What makes
me grumpy? Mostly it is having to endure things I can’t change—needing
chemotherapy, altered plans, distance from family, age-related difficulties—those
infernally frustrating things in life I can do nothing about. You know what I’m
talking about here?
The problem
is, my grumpiness pokes its boney finger into those I love most. I find myself
being short-tempered and hard to please. I am not so nice to people. So, what
do I do when grumpiness hits?
For me,
grumpiness usually stems from being too focused on myself, holding little internal
pity parties for poor Pam. I have found a couple of Biblical steps I can take:
- Kind words bring life, but cruel words crush your spirit (Proverbs 15:4) I try to quickly and calmly warn my loved ones when I am in a grumpy mood. This helps them to steer clear of me for a bit, giving me the space I need to process and get to the root of my grumpiness.
- Let us examine our ways. (Lamentations 3:40) I look for the underlying cause of my grumpiness. Is it a fear, a frustration, an irritation? Does it stem from something physically, emotionally, or spiritually out of whack?
- In everything give thanks. (1Thessalonians 5:18) I play Pollyanna’s Glad Game, in which the goal is to "find something about everything to be glad about," whether it's a disappointing Christmas gift or a life-long illness.
- Smiling faces make you happy. (Proverbs 15:30) I spend time with people who laugh easily—even if it is just virtually. I watch something funny—an episode of my favorite sitcom or a youtube.com video of Simon’s Cat.
- Do for others what you would want them to do for you. (Matthew 7:12) Reaching out in kindness to someone else helps take my focus off myself.
Blessings!
Pam
