When Hormones Hijack my Holiness
Arriving twenty minutes late, I pulled my knee scooter out of the back of my vehicle and began the trek up the sidewalk to meet my friend for our play date. You may not know what a knee scooter is — I sure didn’t until recently. I broke my big toe a couple of weeks ago, and I’m under doctor’s orders to put little to no pressure on it. So here I am, wearing a fracture boot and scooting around for at least six weeks. Apparently, the big toe is pretty important for balance and such. Who would’ve thought?
I finally made it to my friend and immediately started to spout off everything that was going wrong with my day. My daughter and I had a rough time homeschooling. My husband kept me up, snoring. My broken toe made every little task feel harder. The list went on. After about a fifteen-minute vent session, I blurted out, “I’m sorry. I’m just irritable — I’m on my period.”
I know, TMI. But we all know how our hormones get on our cycle. I can’t deny that I’m a bit dramatic even off my cycle, but today I was feeling it even more than usual. My frustration — and my acne-riddled chin — did little to hide that I was indeed hormonal. So I pulled the period card, if there is such a thing. And honestly, there should be, because I pull that card at least once a month.
My friend’s response quickly turned my irritation into laughter. She didn’t condemn me or shame me. Instead, she said, “Well, I have one for you,” and proceeded to tell me her own hormonal breakdown story.
Her family plays a video game where they all live on a fantasy island they get to design. She was thrilled when the game released an update allowing accent walls in their virtual homes. She cheerfully changed one of her walls to an accent color — and immediately hated it. She tried to change it back several times, but it wouldn’t budge. Tears filled her eyes as she feared she might be stuck with this dreaded accent wall forever.
Her husband and kids tried to console her, but they just didn’t understand. Fortunately for them, they don’t know how crazy those hormones can make you — but I do. We burst out laughing. In a hormone-induced moment of weakness, she had a meltdown over the wrong wall color in her virtual house. And it was exactly the story I needed to hear to remind me I wasn’t crazy or alone.
In life, we see so many people’s highlights. We see the perfect family at church or at the ball game. We scroll social media and see homemade cookies, clean houses, perfect family photos, and so much more. What we don’t see is that the first batch of cookies burned, and the house still smells like smoke. We don’t see the mess cropped out of the photo. And don’t get me started on that perfect family picture — usually it’s number fifty-one after fifty failed attempts.
I love hearing people’s real stories — the messy stuff. Not because I don’t enjoy the good things, because I do. But my favorite people will always be the ones who let me into their not-so-picture-perfect lives. Thankfully, my life is filled with those kinds of people. The ones who won’t let Satan condemn me or let me condemn myself for having a bad day. The ones who can one-up my crazy hormonal story. The ones who remind me I’m not a bad mom because I had a rough day, and I’m not a failure because my house is a wreck.
The enemy condemns and shames me enough. I shame myself enough.
C.S. Lewis once said, “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one!’” I’m thankful my life is filled with people who let me into their real lives.
Hormonal days, messy moments, and mommy fails can make us feel alone, like we’re the only one who struggles. But God designed friendship to help lift the burdens we carry. When we share our real lives — not just the highlights — we remind each other that we’re not in this alone.
“Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.”
Galatians 6:2 NLT
Sometimes carrying each other’s burden looks a lot like laughing together over a hormonal meltdown and offering grace on those days when we feel anything but holy.
One last thing. It’s okay to step away for a second. Lock yourself in the bathroom if you have to and just breathe. Eat a piece of chocolate. A Snickers bar in a quiet corner may be just what you need. Give yourself a minute. Call a friend who will speak life into you. And if you don’t have that friend, let this be your reminder: you are not alone. A moment doesn’t define you. A bad day doesn’t define you, and it doesn’t get to steal your peace. You are a child of the Most High God, and His grace is bigger than even your worst day.
