Is that snickering I hear?  Are you of the opinion that God may be bigger than nuclear holocaust, natural disasters and Monday night football but not hormones?  I find doubt in God’s omnipotence over hormones to be common among both men and women. This could be due to the sudden, inexplicable, emotional melt downs that hormones can inspire.  Who is that fire breathing, fang toothed monster in my mirror?  What happened to the mild-mannered matron we all knew and loved?  The good news is that in 48-72 hours she will probably be back.
 
But seriously, God made me, complete with hormones so I’d like to think that these outbursts are part of God’s plan, but they’re not.  To tell the truth, I have even played the “hormone card’.  “I’m so sorry I said that.  It was just the hormones talking.”  But the truth is that it wasn’t simply hormones.  It was my mouth, my voice and my hurtful words. 
 
Even though I have taken advantage of any relief the medical field has to offer, I’ve decided that coping with hormones really comes down to self control.  Although self control is one of my least favorite subjects, the Bible says self control is part of the Christian walk.  (No references to “except when your hormones are raging.”)   I, for one, have to say that controlling my hormones month after month, year after year sounds impossible.  However, I’ve learned that when the Bible clearly asks something of me that is beyond my abilities, it’s time for God to step in.
 
Have you ever read the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23? They’re love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness.  Don’t those sound wonderful?  I usually feel that I’m doing pretty good with these until the last one. The last one is self-control.  Ugh!  No amount of my effort or desire ever seems to make this any better.    But here’s the deal: this is not a list of the fruits of your labor, or the fruits of your determination.  These are the fruits of the Spirit of the Lord.  It’s the Spirit’s job to plant these fruits in all believers.  It’s your job to open yourself up to the Lord to more fully receive them. 
 
If you think about it, you can see God’s work through your hormones.  Were there hormonal times when you wanted to curl up in a ball but instead you did a full days work?  That was God.  Were there times you wanted to rip someone’s head off with your bare teeth but instead you bit your tongue?  That was certainly God.   I have to tell you it’s tempting to just loose control and then pull out the hormone card.  But our faith asks us to believe that God’s spirit offers us the miraculous ability to have self control even when hormones are raging.  Isn’t it nice we still live in an age of miracles?  I’m sure when I hit menopause, I’m gonna need a few more!!

Karen Tripp MS                        Speaker, Author, Counselor

I’ve never lived alone. From my mother’s house to the land of marriage, I always had roommates- which worked for me.  I don’t like being alone.  Now my husband Kelly is a man that can enjoy his solitude.

 The early months of our wedded bliss, Kelly would be sitting in the office paying bills and such and I would go in and sit.  Just sit. No talking, no reading just sitting.  “Do you need something?”, he’d ask.  I’d just grin and say ”No”.   After much repetition, I finally understood: I had no idea how to be alone.  I’ve gotten better, but I would still pick a room with a bunch of noisy, smelly teenagers than a room by myself any day. Strange, I know.

 But loneliness is about more than being alone.  Loneliness can find you standing in line at the grocery store, sitting in a meeting with a dozen people or spending a quiet evening with a love one.  Loneliness is the awareness of a hole in your life that hasn’t been filled. Today there’s less quiet in which to hear the loneliness. MP3’s, CD’s, DVD’s and cell phones eliminate silence so this hole has a way of showing up in our daily routine.  Loneliness comes in the mundane moments with  the thoughts “Is this it?  Isn’t there something more?”

 Here’s the thing.  The hole in your life is God. God created a place in each of us that only He can fill.  Isn’t that tricky?  He loves us so much He wants us to want Him. So He designs us to only feel fulfilled when we are seeking Him.  To not seek God increases our loneliness and brings questions for God like “What are you doing?”  “Why did you take them?”  “Where are you?”  Or maybe you realize you’re not as close to God as you use to be or as close as the next guy.  The loneliness that comes from seeing this hole in your life is called Spiritual Loneliness. 

 Many Christians think that since they know Jesus their Spiritual Loneliness should go away but I don’t think so.  Actually, I think it’s intensified.  Once you begin to experience God filling your hole, you want more of Him. So you see, this loneliness in your life- the feeling that something is missing- is a good thing.  It’s a shout out from God that He wants you to keep seeking Him.  We are designed to seek God just as we are designed to breathe in and out.  Yet when things get in the way of your breathing, you do something about it.  When life gets in the way of you seeking God, you can get distracted until one day, in the midst of the noise, you hear your loneliness.  Listen to your loneliness.  That’s God.  That’s God calling you to let Him fill your hole a little bit more.  Just a little bit more.

Karen Tripp MS                            Speaker, Author, Counselor

Nobody makes u-turns like I make u-turns.  I’m at the point now that when I go out to run errands, I figure in a little time for the corner I missed and the turn I forgot to make at the stop light.  As I am sneaking up on 50, I approach mistakes the same way- I know each outing in my life will be accompanied by a few mistakes. You can count on it. But this is a new viewpoint for me.
 
As an all-knowing teen, I charged through life so fast I didn’t see my mistakes just other people’s mistakes.  In my 20’s, I periodically looked over my shoulder and saw the mistakes I left behind me.  Yucko.    By my 30’s I began to work at not making mistakes.  I wanted to buy the “right” car- not too expensive but not a clunker.  I wanted to work the “right” amount- not so little I didn’t apply myself but not so much I missed out on the important things.  And then came kids.  Why do mistakes with kids feel so huge? 
 
When I’m on my game, I’ve asked God the “right” thing to do.  Sometimes I’d feel God’s guidance, sometimes not.  Not knowing if I was doing the “right” thing has at times made me feel sick to my stomach.
 
Then I met Christina.  I interviewed her for my book God is Bigger Than Your Cancer and learned an incredible lesson.   She had spent years making life and death decisions about her cancer treatment.  Most of her decisions God used to bless her health, but not all of them.  At one point she told me “God can take everything, even our mistakes, and use them for His will.  You don’t have to walk a perfect walk.  When you get it in your heart and in your head that God is in charge, it takes the pressure off of you.  I seek God’s plan for me through prayer, fellowship and the Word, and I make the best decisions I can.  Then I leave it in God’s hands, because thankfully, He’s in control, not me.”" 
God doesn’t want me to agonize over every decision as though every thing depends on me when REALLY everything depends on Him. 
I am stunned at my ability to forget this simple lesson.  God is not depending on me to be the perfect parent or choose the right job to see His will done.  God is big enough to take anything-EVEN OUR MISTAKES- to do great and mighty things for His kingdom.   What a relief.  
 
Karen Tripp                                       Speaker, Author, Counselor

For more information about Christina and the other survivors in God is Bigger Than Your Cancer click here or go to http://godisbiggerthan.com/rest-of-the-stories/

Katie Kirkpatrick is a beautiful bride and there’s such joy in the pictures.  I see this as someone not letting cancer rule their life even when it is attacking their body.  These pictures really touched my heart.

http://www.snopes.com/photos/people/katie.asp

Karen Tripp

Speaker, Author, Counselor

Speaker: Karen Tripp

Time: 9:15-10:15

Location: Anastasia Baptist Church

Topic: BECOMING A FISHER OF MEN: Letting Jesus Serve You  Does this seem backwards to you?  Do you feel you should be serving Jesus not vice versa?  And yet what could be more wonderful that truly letting Jesus carry your burdens?  God sends His spirit, His people and His love to you.  Discover all the ways that Jesus is trying to serve you and find out how to let Him.

Karen Tripp will be signing her books God is Bigger Than Your Cancer and God is Bigger Than Your Grief from 1:00-4:00 at the Borders in Jacksonville, FL.

For more information call 314-814-0044.

Beloved Disciple: The Life and Ministry of John by Beth Moore is an 11 week bible study which will take you on a journey to discover the depths of Jesus’ love for you.

LOCATION: St John Lutheran, Ellisville, MO

Childcare available upon pre-registration.  Study Guides available at Crosswalk Bookstore. 

Facilitator: Karen Tripp MS          Speaker, Author, Counselor

For more information call 314-814-0044.

Beloved Disciple: The Life and Ministry of John by Beth Moore is an 11 week bible study which will take you on a journey to discover the depths of Jesus’ love for you.

LOCATION: St John Lutheran, Ellisville, MO

Childcare available upon pre-registration.  Study Guides available at Crosswalk Bookstore. 

Facilitator: Karen Tripp MS          Speaker, Author, Counselor

For more information call 314-814-0044.

Beloved Disciple: The Life and Ministry of John by Beth Moore is an 11 week bible study which will take you on a journey to discover the depths of Jesus’ love for you.

LOCATION: St John Lutheran, Ellisville, MO

Childcare available upon pre-registration.  Study Guides available at Crosswalk Bookstore. 

Facilitator: Karen Tripp MS          Speaker, Author, Counselor

For more information call 314-814-0044.

Beloved Disciple: The Life and Ministry of John by Beth Moore is an 11 week bible study which will take you on a journey to discover the depths of Jesus’ love for you.

LOCATION: St John Lutheran, Ellisville, MO

Childcare available upon pre-registration.  Study Guides available at Crosswalk Bookstore. 

Facilitator: Karen Tripp MS          Speaker, Author, Counselor

For more information call 314-814-0044.