Raging hormones are part and parcel to being a woman, but God wants us to exert self-control over our hormone-induced behavior.

There is a lot to love about being a girl. No one is more thrilled about shopping for cute shoes, wearing chunky jewelry, and gabbing with great girlfriends than I am. But, there is one part of girlhood I could live without…PMS! 

I know this can be a little embarrassing to talk about. Believe me, it isn’t my favorite subject either. But, I want to tackle it, especially in the context of how it impacts our emotions. 

I thought we should take a look at the often ugly impact hormones can have on our emotional well being, especially in light of God’s Truth. 

Dannah Gresh actually tells a hilarious story of a time when her hormones got the best of her in “Lies Young Women Believe.” Check it out. 

“ I (Dannah) was sitting in my tenth grade lunch period when a bout of PMS proved to be nearly deadly. That is, if taking a sack lunch in the temples is at all lethal. 

I hate to even confess this, but oh well! I was talking with my friends during lunch at my Christian high school. The teacher decided we were talking too loudly. I confess that I always thought of her as a killjoy and immediately had a resentful heart when she confronted us. On a regular day, that would have been the end of my sin. 

Not on this day. 

I guess I wasn’t really that quiet. 

She confronted us again. I felt that horrible sensation when your pulse rages out of control. You begin to tear up—out of either anger or emotional pain. It’s hard to tell. I stuffed my lunch into its paper sack and headed for the door. As I passed my teacher, I threw a stunning curve ball (aka crushed up lunch) at the garbage can that was right beside her desk. 

I missed. 

It hit her in the left temple. 

Yes, I was in a world of trouble. 

No, my parents didn’t show any mercy” (Lies Young Women Believe, 141-142). 

Yikes! 

I can’t say that my hormones have ever led me to throw things at a teacher. But, they have gotten the best of me many times over. I’ve screamed, I’ve cried, I’ve stomped my feet and rolled my eyes, I’ve even thrown out a cuss word or two. And I’ve justified it all with the feeling that I can’t control myself when I have PMS. 

Can you relate?

I don’t want to trivialize the reality of hormones on our female bodies. The hormones are real. Doctors confirm that during your period, your body releases increased levels of estrogen (hormones) that have physiological effects on your body and brain. 

But we are deceived when we see this as a blank check to behave however we want to. 

In fact, here are four important Truths to counteract this lie. 

1. What happens in your body is real, but physical symptoms can never be an excuse for sin. 

“ Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” James 4:17

“ But he said to me, ‘ My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

2. By God’s grace you can bring your emotions, thoughts, and words captive to Jesus Christ.

“We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5b

3. God examines every word we speak and every thought we think. 

“ Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.” Psalm 139:23

“ The Lord knows the thoughts of man.” Psalm 94:11a

“ Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said ‘ Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?’” Matthew 9:4

4. Practicing self -control is evidence of God’s work in your life. 

“ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22

“ Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.” Proverbs 25:28

Periods will come. Hormones will rage. It is all part of being a girl. But next month, when you’re tempted to throw a fit, curl up in bed and hide from the world, or throw your lunch at your teacher remember God’s Truth—and then, go eat some chocolate!