It was an extreme measure. I stood there looking at my white plastic framed appliance in the large black hefty bag.

I threw away my coffee pot.

In life we will face moments in which we have to draw a line in the sand and say no more. That was my coffee pot in the trash morning. I was done.

The morning had started out with noble intentions. It was Sunday and my family and I were in the normal fast-paced mode of getting everyone ready. There are eight of us so the getting ready part is greatly multiplied. This particular morning I had poured myself my normal large cup of lovely coffee. And I always made my coffee like a dessert – no messing around here. In goes lots of sugar, flavored coffee creamer, topped with ready-whip out of the can and sprinkled with cinnamon.

Mmmmm, I can smell it now.

This particular Sunday morning as we rushed through our morning I could feel the pressure mounting. As life flew at me I kept swigging my coffee.
Got one kid dressed. Gulp.

Directed other children to the table for cereal. Chug down more coffee.

Oh, wait it’s 9 a.m., we need to leave by 9:30 and I’m not dressed yet. Sad, I can see the bottom of my cup.

I finished that cup so I went for a 2nd, because coffee makes me happy. By the time the 2nd cup was done we were nearly out the door. However, I didn’t stop to eat. I hadn’t had any water to drink. I knew that my mind, body, and soul function much better when I actually take care of myself, but I had gotten lazy again.

I knew I had gotten back into a nasty habit of yelling or at least raising my voice too much. When I feel overwhelmed I get moody and snappy which inevitability ends in me yelling like a nut. I’ve openly shared these struggles with ugliness before in 5 Ways to Overcome the Yelling Mom.

Nearing our departure five of our six sweet children were in the living room getting on jackets and shoes. Now, I don’t even remember the full dynamics of the situation, just that I was a mom with only caffeine in my veins and my children were being kids with only childhood in their veins.

I snapped.

A big, ugly, yelling, screaming, pressured mom snap. I yelled, best I can say, like a nut.

And they cried. Even my 12 year old cried.

Then I cried.

And I knew at that moment that I had to do something drastic because I obviously couldn’t handle the amount of caffeine in my system.

On the way to church as I talked out the situation with my husband I reflected on how anytime I’ve really had a yelling outburst during my motherhood years it is usually directly related to me drinking too much coffee. I prayed about it in church and felt the Lord tell me to throw my coffee pot away. As soon as we got home I couldn’t get the thing in the trash quick enough.

I Don't Want to be an Angry Mom, so I threw away my coffee pot !!

I went for several months without any caffeine and worked on making sure I ate well and drank plenty of water in the mornings. I also cut all sugars and refined carbohydrates from my diet.

Now, almost a year later, I enjoy a cup of coffee during my time with the Lord in the morning and I feel peace about drinking it with the additional diet and lifestyle changes that are in place. I had to surrender that area of my life to the Lord and follow Him in the adjustments that I desperately needed.

You may not have a problem with coffee. You may have another area that you need more discipline and control in. Just as I had to completely rid my body and home from coffee for a season you may have to purge some junk and hand certain areas to the Lord as you gain victory in your life and mothering.

What have you struggled with? Have you made changes in your diet that have resulted in positive changes in your well being? Share with us in the comments below!

Blessings, Jamerrill Stewart

For more encouragement, check out From Grouchy to Great: Finding Joy in the Journey of Motherhood. It's a daily devotional with discussion questions to encourage you as a mom. Grab a journal and study through it by yourself, or gather some girlfriends and study together!