Looking for Patterns

Do you enjoy Sunday's at your house?

Our Sunday's can be really relaxing and fun, or stress filled and exhausting. It all depends on whether or not we plan to go to church. Let me clarify a little. If we plan on staying home and just "home churching" due to a sick child, or vacation, our day will go pretty smoothly.

The minute we decide we will go to church on Sunday, the dark cloud seems to roll on in! For a long time now, our Sunday mornings have gone something like this:

Mom wakes up in a fairly good mood. She lovingly encourages her children to wake up and start getting ready for church. When mom finishes in the shower, the first child comes into the room wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a t-shirt.

"Is this Ok to wear to church, Mom?"

"NO, you may NOT wear jeans to church!"

My children seem to be in bad moods and they begin to bicker amongst themselves. Mom is needed to stop the quarrelling.

Now my son comes into the bedroom wearing shorts and a t-shirt.

Mom says, "Son, we're going to church today, you cannot wear that."

My son, "Ok, Mom, I'll go change."

Then another daughter comes into the room griping about not having ANY clothes in her drawers, so how can she go to church when she'll be in her PJ's? AAAHHH!

By this time, Mom's pleasant mood is gone......grumpy Mom has entered the building.

About this time my hubby is getting out of the shower. The kids are banging on the door complaining about being hungry and wanting me to fix breakfast, braid their hair, and tie their dresses. I'm feeling irritated!!

Now my husband and I try to have a conversation. Every Sunday, my husband will end up saying, "are you just trying to start an argument today?"

I reply, "NO!" It's true, I'm not trying to start an argument. It's just that by this time in the morning I'm not in a good mood!

This past Sunday was a revelation day for me! God turned on the light bulb in my mind. I realized that on the Sundays when we were going to church, the enemy was attacking us. He was using the same ammo each time, so I was able to see the pattern. Yeah for God!

I got into the car and told my husband that in the past weeks, he asked me every Sunday if I was trying to start an argument. I told him that it wasn't me, but the devil who was trying to start an argument. I pointed out that the enemy had been attacking our family in the same way each week! He then had a light bulb moment, too!

We are now armed with the right weapons to fight back next week! Saturday night, the kids will be setting out their Sunday clothes. My husband and I will end the day reading a scripture and praying together, and we will begin the day the same way.

It's all about knowing your enemy and being able to defeat him by using the right weapons. I am hopeful that next Sunday we will break this cycle. Please pray for us.

There is a battle going on out there, it's a battle for our marriages, and our families, and our souls! If you have a repeating bad day in your life, ask God to show you if there are patterns you can see, and then fight back! Let's win these battles.

Ephesians 6:12 We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world. (Contemporary English Version)