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The Christian Working Mom Blog is designed to be a place of support and encouragement for Christian Working Moms. Come join us as we support one another.
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- Coach Kimberly
- Kimberly Chastain is the Christian Working Mom Coach and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She has a passion for encouraging and supporting Christian Working Moms. Find out more about Christian Working Moms at www.christianworkingmom.com
27 comments:
Help~ I am having a rough couple of days....I just have felt blah~ does anyone ever feel sad for apparently no reason? I don't think it is depression really, but I just feel overwhelmed sometimes and like I run through things over and over in my head ~ things that I can't do anything about....almost like anxioty...Sorry to bring this to you guys~ but I don't want to bring my girlfriends down...ya know? I know I should not worry and I know I should turn things over to God...and believe me I really try, but why can I not turn my brain off??? LOL~ =o)
Does anyone know what I mean?
(by the way...it does seem to correspond with the pms time)
sooooooo frustrating!
Thanks~ jenlon
Hi Jenlon,
I'm sorry you are having a rough few days. I do think pms has a lot to do with it. All the hormonal changes can make you irritable and more anxious than usual. I think one of the things you are doing that is right is noticing what is going on and trying to do something about it. You know it doesn't feel "normal". Exercise is good for irritability. Also, you can try scheduling a "worry time" each day. If thoughts come up you don't want to worry about, tell yourself you can think about that in your worry time. It gives the thoughts a place to go. Then,you may worry less. Also, you are wise to be praying. I'm learning how important it is to be honest with God about everything in our lives. He knows and cares. Also, sometimes writing down what you are worried about gets it out of your head and you worry less. Hope today gets better.
Thanks Coach Kim! I appreciate you letting me "vent" Things have just been stressful, and I try to stay positive most of the time, but I almost feel like I am at a breaking point.....it is just time for a good rest. I need a day with nothing but family time on my "to do list" LOL =o)
~jenlon
Hi, I'm new to posting on the site but have been reading it for a few weeks. :) I'm trying to teach my 2 year old son how to pray at meals and at night. We keep it very simple "Thank you Jesus for our food, Amen" and then I've tried reciting the Lord's prayer at night while we're rocking. He used to enjoy this but now he doesn't want to do night time prayers at all and will get frustrated when I start to pray. Any suggestions to help my little one enjoy this activity? I want it to be positive for him. I've also tried simpler night time prayers but cannot seem to engage him as much. I have purchased a little baby bible, but he doesn't seem interested in the stories yet even though they are tailored for his age. Thanks! MK
Hi MK,
Welcome and glad you decided to post. First, of all let me say I think it is wonderful that you are trying early to teach your son about God. I think your simple prayer at meals are good. When my kids were little at night, we would start prayers with Thank you God for .... and they would fill in the blanks. Thank you for the rock I found, thank you that I didn't sit by a girl (my son's favorite one). So, make it a conversation. Also, I have noticed boys like to move. So, maybe you could read him a short Bible story while he sits on the floor or rolls around. He may listen more than you think. Maybe let him look at the pictures and help you decide what Bible story to read. It is important at this age to teach him to talk to God like it is a conversation. You may say, in the car, thank you God for the sunshine. Thank you for our car. 2 year olds repeat everything and he will start catching on as well. You are one wise and caring Mom to point him to Jesus. Hang in there. Keep us updated.
here are a couple of little prayers that we said when we were little and we taught our kids :
"Come Lord Jesus, be our guest, let this food to us be blessed. Amen."
"Thank you for the world so sweet, Thank you for the food we eat. Thank you for the birds that sing, Thank you GOD for everything."
also 2yrs old is perfect age for Veggie Tales! =o) My kids still like veggie tales! LOL Maybe you could sing a silly veggie tales song while you rock?
2 is still pretty small~ coach Kim is right. They really do soak in alot more than we think. I am reading "Kingdom Come" and just from the title my son started reciting the Lords Prayer!! =o)
Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
10Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven.
11Give us this day our daily bread.
12And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory for ever. Amen.
I'll pray for you and your little one.
love~ jenlon
Thank you Jenlon and Coach Kim, I appreciate some fresh ideas! My son does like rhyming patterns so those prayers would be really great to share with him.
This is really a great site. I am the primary provider for my family and there are just not many resources out there for christian moms who work. I am also hoping to check out the bible study. It's very cool that there are some creative ways to still let working moms study God's word with others that accomodates often hectic schedules. I have a great but demanding job (frequent overtime) and find that I want to give any free time I do have to my husband and son. This will also allow me to find time to have bible study without working it around dinner time or other time that is precious to share as a family. My free time ends up being after my son goes to bed and there aren't a lot of bible studies that start at 8pm! LOL.
I look forward to learning from others and getting advice or tips from moms who have experience and can offer a christian perspective.
Thank you for providing a place like this.
MK
MK,
You are welcome. You are right about it is tough to schedule Bible studies for working moms, so with it on the internet you can do it at midnight, 6:00am whatever works for you. Like I have said many times we have a lot of great Moms here.
glad you liked the little prayers~ I have always thought they were precious!!
the bible study is wonderful~ I need to catch back up~ I have done some of it.....
hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.
will "talk" soon!
jenlon~
Can we start a thread about potty training?
My husband is a full time SAHD. He does a great job, but he just hasn't done anything with potty training.
We have a 4 year old (in July) girl and a 2 year old (in May) boy. My daughter has absolutely no interest. She will sit when I make her. Saturdays are the only days I can really work with her. And that's only if I stay home all day. Last Saturday, DH was gone (men's retreat) and we did panties all day. But no matter how often she sat (every 30 minutes), she peed 4 time and had no success. I know she needs consistency, but I'm not home to do offer it.
I haven't even tried to start with my 2 year old. Maybe I should skip the 4 year old and go straight to the 2 year old?
hi there~ Coach Kim, I just wanted to check back in with you on the feeling "blah" that I had posted earlier: I finally went to the DR and found out I am having some hormone issues!! SO....I'm not crazy after all!!! Hahahaha~
thanks for letting me blow steam the other day~ I am starting on some medicine so hopfully that will level things out a little...they took into consideration family history and then ran bloodtests~ so at least now I know that I had a reason for not feeling "normal".
jenlon
Jenlon,
Never thought you were crazy. Thanks for the update. You are very welcome for blowing off steam. Hormones seems to never stop affecting us, from being a teenager to now. Hope you are back to "normal" whatever that is, for all of us. My "normal" changes daily. Ha! Ha!
Thanks~ I was beginning to think I was crazy!!! LOL
you're right about "normal" there isn't such a thing is there??? LOL =o) Well work for me is really hectic and over night my workload has doubled+ (no pay increase~ basically was told just to be happy I had a job/ huge layoffs going on right now), so if you all don't mind I could really use some prayers right now. Found a job opportunity that I wasn't looking for and am wondering if I should put in a resume....I like my job and am happy where I am, so I don't know if I should ride it out or send the application and see what happens. As it is I am going on 1 1/2 with out so much as a review or a thanks for your work, let alone a pay increase~
Please pray that God will make it clear to me what he wants me to do.
Love in Christ, jenlon
just to clarify~ a year and a half~ sorry I was typing fast and didn't edit the post~
Jenlon,
I will certainly be praying. I always think it doesn't hurt to apply for other jobs, you can always turn down an offer if you want to stay at your current job. Also, sometimes when you see something else your job looks better. Of course, pray for wisdom for where God wants you to be.
Coach Kimberly,
I resigned from my workplace yesterday and I feel so relieved about it, but at the same time I feel hurt. What I mean is that I was relieved that I could resign and not give anyone the chance to ask me to leave. On the other hand, I am disappointed that my hopes and ambitions for learning something different and exciting were short-lived. The person training me gave the management a false impression of my true progress. The preceptor even told the management that I left without giving report leaving the impression that I left patient's in an unsafe way. I was so upset about it that I called in a union rep to mediate the meeting because what he said about me could have affected my nursing license. The director and other management wanted me to come to an emergency meeting. I have every reason to believe that I was to be fired that day. Two days prior to the meeting I had a dream about a snake crawling in this very beautiful green grass. After the meeting, I remembered my dream. I know the dream was showing me that the individual was deceptive. He honestly gave me the impression that he thought I was doing well (in which I was) and behind my back he was giving management a different picture.
Everytime I remember the person, I just feel so angry, but then I remember that I am a Christian. Should feel bad for feeling this way? Please help!
Anonymous in need of help.
Dear Anonymous,
I read your post about your resigning your job and was reminded of a time in my life a few years ago. I was requesting extended LOA for maternity leave when my Dean asked me to come and talk with her about how "committed" I was to the institution. I found out at that meeting that a couple of people had also said some completely false things about me (I'm not perfect, but those particular things were things that I actually paid much attention to and was proud of my work in those areas). Anyway, it was VERY hurtful to be MISJUDGED, MISLEAD, MISUNERSTOOD. I felt so betrayed, wronged, and alone. I was also so surprised, as I never had any idea they thought these things. It set off a depression for me. I was functional, but had very little joy or zest. It was during this time of about 9 months that I started reading the old testament. I hadn't read it in many years. It was so comforting. I learned so much about God's character in those books, and also about others' hardships. I became so much closer to God and although I felt like the pits about my work and considered resigning, in the end God worked out some pretty incredible "coincidences" that lead me to believe I should stay where I was. I am so happy I did. I have long since forgiven those people and have formed a good working relationship with them. It was sooo hard in the beginning.
So I don't think you are wrong to feel angry. You are human. Pray and read your Bible. It may take a while, but God will bring you through it. I KNOW He will!
Cheryl
Cheryl,
Thanks so very much for your words of encouragement. I really appreciate them alot. I called out that individual's name in prayer although I didn't want to pray for him. I know that as I keep praying and saying I forgive him, it will happen. What can I do at this point? Refusing to forgive him isn't going to hurt him afterall, it will hurt me. It just feels so unfair, but I know God is fair. I was only 2 weeks from getting off orientation and then I get a call on Monday out of the blue to come to a meeting with my ex-director. WOW! What a surprise. I will take your sound counsel and keep reading my bible and praying for myself as well as my ex-coworkers.
Thanks abunch.
Hi Anonymous,
What a day and how difficult and disappointing. Cheryl gave you wise advice, which is what I love about this blog. We can help one another. I would add that yes you have a right to be angry. There is such a thing as righteous anger. The key is what you do with it. The anger is not hurting your employer, but you. Also, praying for this person is the Biblical thing to do, but I would add you can't do it in your own strength. I would be honest in your prayers and cry out to God and tell him he will have to do the forgiving and praying for you, because it is too hard. I remember 2 Cor. 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you, but my power is made perfect in weakness." When we admit how much we need God to do a work, he becomes strong in our lives. I would also encourage you to ask God what he wants you to learn from this experience. Like Cheryl shared she learned so much from the Old Testament times. God never wastes our trials. You are in my prayers this morning. Please let us know how it goes and keep us updated. You are my sister in Christ and we can lift up one another.
...remember 2 Cor. 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you, but my power is made perfect in weakness."
Excellently said Coach Kimberly. I am so thankful for you and this blog. Alot of the times, I can't comment, but just print the bible studies and read them. I truly feel blessed. Although I keep playing this past week's events over and over in my head, I know that with time and prayer this too shall pass. I have learned thru this experience how evil and cold hearts are without a living Savior! Although I hurt and feel betrayed, I know that this is nothing compared to what our Lord went thru on the Cross having many betray and hurt Him. Please keep praying for me.
Anonymous,
I will keep praying for you and please keep us updated. I always find great comfort in the fact that nothing that is going on with you caught God by surprise. He sees and knows the future. I will pray for his clear direction for you.
Coach Kimberly,
I want to thank you for your prayers. Since the time of my workplace challenges, I have been drawing close to the Lord in prayer and song. I still think about what happened to me, but amazingly it doesn't feel as painful. I know that I must take it one day at a time which I am doing. There's a song I keep listening to called "Friend of God" by Israel Houston which has eased my hurt knowing that no matter what...my God calls me friend. One thing I am happy about is that I can get up in the morning and really spend some quality time with my 2 yr old who I was neglecting because of the job. Thanks again and God Bless you and this medium of communication.
Hi Anonymous,
I do keep praying for you. If you don't mind just sign your name at the end of the post, first name will be fine. When I pray for you I tell God he knows who you are. Thanks for letting us know how you are doing. I truly love that song "I am a Friend of God". I can hardly hear it or sing it without crying. I'm glad you are having some good time with your child. My prayer is God will give you clear direction about what to do next.
Coach Kimberly,
My name is Jennifer and thanks so very much.
Hi Jennifer,
You are welcome and thanks for sharing your name. I will certainly lift you up in prayer.
I have been a working Mom since my oldest daughter was a year and a half old. She is now 13 and my son is 10. I thought by now I should be used to being a working Mom and truly I am very happy to be working and wouldn't want to stay at home now. The trouble is, the way I feel since most of my friends are stay at home Mom's still (most of their kids are in school) or they have chosen to home school. My husband gets pressure from their husbands as it was a "sacrifice" and a "choice" they made to have their wives stay at home (as things should be according to them). I was going to a ladies Bible Study in the evenings which this year was changed to daytime (it was more convenient for most of them so I just can't go now). Where are all of the working Mom's? How come I can't find them in my church? I would have thought that it would have gotten easier after so many years but it just seems to be a constant issue. Just had to vent a little...sorry, not great for my first post!
Debbie
Debbie,
Don't apologize and welcome. You are loved and accepted here. You have presented something I haven't heard before, but I'm sure happens - husbands being pressured as well. The judgmental attitude of our sisters in Christ is sinful and wrong. We are to love and support one another. Where are the CWM's? They are there in church, but sometimes they are hidden. I know one church I attended I felt like I was the only CWM, only to find there were others who felt the same way. Also, that church was a big homeschooling church as well and I did feel like a fish out of water. I would also encourage you to check out our CWM Online Bible Study. The link is on the right hand side of this page. I'm sorry to hear things are not getting better. I often try to ascertain for myself is the hurt I'm feeling from me or others? Also, that I need to seek God's love for me and not others. Believe me I know that is easier said than done. Thank you for sharing and again you are welcome here.
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