The Mood Ring

This morning I headed to my bedroom to begin packing for a weekend trip to visit my husband and ran across an old mood ring. I remember the day I bought it. My sister and I were walking through one of our favorite shops and found a set of mood rings by the register. We looked at each other, smiled and immediately grabbed one to try on. We laughed while we childishly watched the colors change from blue to black and and yellow. We even tried to trick the ring to see if the result was correct. (For those who don't remember the mood ring, it was invented by Joshua Reynolds in the 70s and it's stone is made of a hollow quartz which contains 'thermotropic liquid shells' that respond to changes in temperature by twisting. Apparently, the twisting changes their molecular structure, which alters the color, so when the temperature of the liquid crystals change, so does the color.)


I tried on the old ring once again and stared to see what color it would reveal. I was surprised to see the stone turn a light blue, which if you look at the chart above, it reads 'calm, relaxed and lovable.' It obviously was wrong because I was far beyond calm. Hello! I just found out two days ago that I may have to move my family to another state! The appropriate color should appear more like BLACK (stressed)! As I watched the ring change to a deeper blue, I thought about how my children see my moods? What do they see? How do they feel? When I am stressed or anxious, do they notice the boiling red of my face while the steam is blowing out of my ears? Do they see the calming blue when I am lovable and patient? Do they see me share their excitement during my times of distraction?


When the day-to-day responsibilities pile up and become overwhelming, I don't think we realize as parents how much of our moods affect our children. This may surprise you, but as a wife and a mother, we set the tone for our household. For example, I am packing and feeling the pressure of what is to come and isn't it funny that during my crankiness that my children seem to show bad behavior? Coincidence or not, if I am stressed, anxious or running low on patience, any little issue with my children becomes huge. My frustration feeds the fire, but if I remain calm, patient and understanding, then even the most cranky behaviors are handled peacefully and wouldn't you know... we all feel better. But sometimes it doesn't always work that way. It seems so difficult to control our moods when we are living an emotional roller coaster, or any other issues we deal with daily. We need to remember though that whatever the problem we face, big or small, these are valid issues for us to deal with, but our children shouldn't have too. What's the trick? How do we control our emotions during the difficult times?


In Psalms 34:18 it says that, "The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in the spirit." Jesus expects us to bring our most daunting challenges before him frequently in prayer. The scripture tells us that the world may abandon us, but God is always there. He is as near as our next prayer. He promised that He would not leave us comfortless. When we are broken in spirit, He will life us up. Remember that even Jesus needed to pray fervently for God's strength as He faced his ambivalence about going to the cross. It is important to one, make time for daily devotions and two, to pray for God's help in responding to our moods as well as for greater consistency in our convictions and grace to make wise decisions in spite of our moods (and hold our tongue---ouch!) And for the needed courage to move beyond our confusion and take steps of faith. Wow...a reminder that God is in control and can be in control of our moods which, remember, sets the tone for our household.


Here are some scriptures to help us get through times of stress:

1. Changes in circumstances and daily routine: Psalm 46:1-3 "God is my refuse and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof."
2. Everyday stresses: Psalm 16:8,9 "I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope."
3. Exhaustion: Psalm 23:1,2 "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters."
4. Physical problems: Psalm 24:9 "I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined until me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings."
5. Grief: Psalm 3:3 "But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter up of mine head."
6. Depression: Psalm 18:2 "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."
7. When you need a moment of praise: Psalm 30:11, 12 "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth