So this post is for the ladies but it may be beneficial for the guys out there too.

So last week was one of my toughest week in the past couple months both with food and emotions. My hormones were OFF THE HOOK. It has been many months since I have experienced something like this. For 5 whole days I was agitated, annoyed, bitter and wanting to eat anything and everything. I was getting little sleep and that was probably just compounding the problem.

I was asked to lead a devotional at a meeting with our women’s ministry team and I was having a hard time trying to come up with what to speak about. I had all of this bitterness building up in me that I could not think of anything positive or uplifting to speak about. I kept praying about what to speak about and the only thing that kept coming up was all my emotions of anger and frustration. Any time I have been asked to speak I have learned that my message will usually be about what God is trying to work out in my own life and I really felt on my heart that I need to share what I was going through at the time.

The number one thing I am seeking right now in my life is a closer relationship with God. I want to spend more time with Him and get to know Him better during this time in my life. I have been trying to read more of the Bible, pray more and just spend more time with God in general. But I kept getting distracted and kept feeling like I was being pulled in the other direction. I prayed and asked God why is it so difficult for me to get closer to Him. While I was praying, I felt like He reminded me of all the other things going on in my own heart. How can I fall in love with God with so much bitterness and resentments in my heart?

In the story of Queen Esther in the Bible she had one whole year of preparation before she even had her one night with the king. The first 6 months was a cleansing process and the second 6 months was her beautification process. She needed to be cleansed first before she could be beautified. We must also do this process in this order. We need to clean out our hearts of all ugliness before we can truly be filled with the unshakeable and never-ending joy and peace that comes only from God. As Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:31-32.

This is my journey right now. Working on truly letting go of any bitterness and anger I have towards anyone. And this can be a daily process sometimes. I have learned that as the time of the month that comes where my hormones are all jacked up that I need to be prepared. If I let them get a hold of me, I will pull myself away from God, and away from the people I love and be tempted to turn to food. Even with all the hormones raging last week and dealing with all my emotions I did not stray too far from my food plan. I did have MANY temptations and I did indulge some. I had salads that were not too bad but out of my calorie range and a Wegman’s cookie here and there. But I made it through the week with minimal damage and let go of all guilt and I am continuing to move forward. I am already preparing for the next time my hormones get out of whack by continually cleaning out the bitterness and anger that tries to creep in.

I know that this time of the month can be a struggle for many women. I have started reading a book that is written from a Christian woman’s perspective and so far I love it. I t is funny and talks about real issues and is also very educational. If your hormones are where you struggle and send your food out of control I suggest I check out Jump Off The Hormone Swing by Lorraine Pintus. It is great read for ladies at any age and any stage of life.