When You Have One Of Those Days

My beloved longsuffering wife had one of those days.

It’s not as though she doesn’t get those days, but even when you have them it is still a test of your emotional capacity and character.

She could have told from the start of the day that it was going to be one of those days.  From getting ripped off at a nail salon to developing a migraine whilst driving and then depending on her husband to do the shopping and pick up the children simultaneously.  Then there was the ‘shopping incident’ which made matters worse and left her in a tricky position financially.  Then whilst sorting out her car outside it started bucketing it down with rain.  Of course she gets home to find more bad news waiting for her on the phone and in the post.

She would have every right to turn around at the next person who said ‘boo’ to her and unleash a vitriolic tirade outlining how that person was to blame for everything bad that ever happened in the history of the universe.

Instead, she settled herself down.  Found herself in her comfy chair (yeah God has blessed us them kinda ways) and relaxed herself with her Lord.

It was remarkable for me to witness.

I am not certain if I would have demonstrated such a display of calm in such circumstances.  And it is a testament to her growth in Christ that it’s not certain that she would have been so composed 10 years ago.

It got me thinking about what helps when we have those kind of days.  Some truths of life help in these circumstances.

The truth is God is still in control whether the day is good or bad.  Not only does He remain in control, but His character remains true and faithful.  He remains merciful and compassionate, gracious and forgiving even as He allows the rain to fall on the just and the unjust.

The truth is God’s love remains constant and is not subject to our circumstances.  That is why the very worst that life offers doesn’t separate us from His love.  That is not just a consolation, that is a reason to experience a degree of joy even in the most trying circumstances.

The truth is that God did not promise us a life free from heartache, inconvenience, struggle and dismay.  That is not in the contract.  So we should expect it, and as we walk through it, do so knowing that He is with us in it and through it.

The truth is that there remains a hope even in the most hopeless situation and a friend so that even when everyone has left us we are never alone.  There is still peace to calm us in the rough seas of life and there is wisdom to guide us so that we never get distracted and we remain on the path, even if we have to go slowly at times.

The truth is what is ahead of us far outweighs what is around us.  What is in store is greater, deeper and of greater reward that whatever we go through at the moment.  So in the same way that Jesus was focussed on what was ahead of Him, so we too can keep our eyes on the prize and allow that to help us negotiate murky times.

The truth is sometimes we’re wrong, sometimes we fail, sometimes we mess up big time and sometimes it would have been better to have kept our mouths shut and avoid the situation rather than get involved and make a bad situation worse.  Yet even then, we are not cast out, dismissed, neglected and forsaken.  We are not condemned or cut off.  We may fail but we are not failures.  We may sin, but we are still saints of the Most High Holy God.

These truths I hold as evident in the light of God and those truths help through those times when we have those days.

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

dmcd