Mondays with the Ladies

I hate Mondays with every ounce of my being. Okay, that's a bit of and exaggeration, but I really don't like Mondays. Yes, I stay home with my kids. Yes, Monday is really no different than any other week day. However, there is just something about Mondays. It's the first day of the week that my husband isn't home. We're in recovery mode from our weekend. We're tired and whiney (yes, all of us). Mondays are just hard.

The one thing that makes Mondays bearable, though, is Monday nights. On Monday nights, I get to go to small group. Just over a year ago, a dear friend invited me to an all women's small group and my supportive and loving husband encouraged me to go. Praise the Lord, because it has been the best thing for me.

We just finished Friendships of Women Bible Study by Dee Brestin, and while it wasn't my favorite study, so many good things came from it. The very last question of the book was, "List three things that you think you will always remember from this study. Why? What will you do with them?"

Here are my three things:

1.) (though this doesn't exactly answer the question) I got my hands in the Bible. Mrs. Brestin wrote her study in a way that had us flipping from the front of the Bible to the back and then back again. It was awesome to see connections in the Old and New Testament. I will not forget my first Bible study that got me into the nitty-gritty of the Bible.

2.) There is this great quote on page 129 of this book: "Boundaries release folly from fools and fragrance from roses." Wow. What wisdom. I looked at this line two ways. First, if I'm friends with someone who has issues with my family's boundaries, that isn't okay. Second, it made me look at myself. When I have issues with someone's boundaries, I'm a fool. I want boundaries to bring out my Christ-like fragrance not my foolishness.

3.) We need truth-tellers in our lives. I've always had a hard time with constructive criticism and for that reason have often shied away from confrontation. I've felt like if I confront someone, they may have something to confront me about and I just don't want to hear it. What an immature attitude. God has used this study to deal with me in this area and has shown me how important it is to have people in our lives who will tell the truth, even when it hurts. When I want candy coating, I'll call my mama (that's what I need her for). When I want hard truth, I know who to call, and I love those people for that.

So, Mrs. Brestin, though I started this study unsure, and still say it was a bit confusing at times, thank you. This is just what this girl needed.