The Happiness Project

It's an encouraging little book with practical tips that really do work.  One of the things I see myself constantly failing at is her practice of "act the way you want to feel." Apparently, if you feel irritated and then you express that irritation, it doesn't relieve your irritated-ness.
Looking back over motherhood, I see how true that is.  But oh the strength one must have to push that irritated feeling down into yourself, just absorb it, and gush out some sweetness and exercise patience and love.  The outcome is that you will feel more patience and love and your irritation will lessen.
So that's my happiness project for the week.  Not so much for the purpose of me being happier, but I see the gospel in it (Alisha was right), and my goodness gracious, it would just be really nice of me to be Christ to my kids, absorb their stuff, swallow my angry words, and decide to act gently and graciously towards them.  But the motivation of, "so I can feel happier" isn't the best motivation, but happiness is nice. :)

So Gretchen doesn't refer to the gospel, but it's a greater motivation to practice at least this tip.  I would have never worded it that way, to "act the way you want to feel."
I think normally I would say to myself, "Stop feeling that way.  You're feeling that way because you're believing a lie.  You're irritated because you want your kingdom to come instead of His.  Your feelings are wrong because you've forgotten the love of Christ and that He's orchestrated all these irritating things because you need them.  And you're a sinner and He has grace for you.  See your own sin and have grace for your kids.  Get a grateful heart and find joy that though you can be so irritating and selfish and bitter and ugly, Christ absorbs it all and is for you in the details of your life, and wants relationship with you, and brings you irritations and frustrations as He writes the story of your life and wants you to cling to Him, see your sin, appreciate His grace and overflow with grace for others."

If only I could remember all that in the split moment that I snap at my kids when they're kicking the soccer ball in the house, carrying Lola while she's screaming for them not to carry her, and mixing their cereal with all the toys in the playroom.  That all happened this morning while I was blogging.  I said, "AHHHH, Everyone just stop!  Riley, turn on a movie please."  I'm so bad.