A Hard Day

It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23, KJV

I’m in the habit of waking up in the early morning hours well before it’s time for me to officially start my day. I enjoy tinkering around the house for a few minutes – feeding the cat, activating the gas logs, giving the dog a treat, grabbing a quick drink, and beginning my morning devotion. I’m not a break-of-day type person, but I DO appreciate the mornings largely because I can’t wait for the minute I can go “back to bed” for as long as possible.

However, there are just some days when your gut tells you, “Rats, this day isn’t going to be easy.” Events happen (the unexpected sort) and we want to pull the blinds back down, rush back into bed after donning our favorite pajamas, drink a cup of cocoa (because I’m not a coffee drinker) and  block out the world for a few hours. I have found myself looking for that elusive “do over” button more than a few times! Have you?

Not long ago, my clock had stopped working in the “wee hours” of the morning. You know what that meant! When I returned to my little cocoon of warmth and seclusion, I thought I had a couple of more hours to enjoy a “slow awakening.” They next thing I knew, shoes were flying; clothes were airborne as I searched for that one aloof clothing item; toes were stubbed; animals scrambled to get out of the path of a one-shoed lunatic; and out the door I go wearing my summer sling-back heels, without the good measure of a winter coat. Did I mention it was 23 degrees outside? But hey, I was 20 minutes later than my usual 5 minutes late, which meant I was late to my own meeting! A big taboo for me. How embarrassing! NOT the way I wanted to start the day.

Once I arrived to work, panic stricken and bustling to get organized immediately, things began to spiral. That’s spiral downward, not upward. You know that feeling…the one within minutes where those things that CAN go wrong, actually do. The moment when your nerves are frayed, but someone or something seems to carry a very sharp knife to cut that one final existing frayed nerve, the one that will push you over the cliff of exasperation?! It was just one of those days. Obstacle city! We all have them, right?  By 2:00 on Monday, it felt like 7:00 on Thursday – one of THOSE days. (You can imagine how many times I asked for the Lord’s help throughout the day…constantly! It is important on days like this, to not allow obstacles to define us.  Trials are there to help shape us, teach us, and mold us, although it can be really HARD to see that when you really just want to get in your pajamas and shut the world out. The Bible says in 1 Chronicles 16:11 - Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.

At the end of “the longest Monday on Earth,” I heard from a close friend. Turns out she had been absent from work for several days, and had been undergoing tests for severe health concerns. After a variety of scans, blood work, lots of poking and prodding, and tests, the doctor’s final diagnosis was not good news. By the end of our conversation, I began to feel ashamed of myself. My hard day wasn’t even comparable.

Sometimes I don’t know what to say in times like that – Have you ever felt like that? You wanted to say SOMETHING to encourage her/him, to say the right thing at the right time about God, and how He cares for our burdens, and that we’re not alone in our fears and adversities, but you just got stumped?  

I didn’t dwell, so as not to distract, but rather just spoke from the heart, as real friends do. (I would like to add that this isn’t a time to talk about you, but rather listen to the other person). When we’re sincere with the people we care about, words aren’t always necessary. I told her I would diligently pray about this situation, and if nothing else, reminded her (and myself) about the power of prayer. Philippians 4:6 - Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

And I realized something else…even when I’ve had a hard day, God may come along and “shake me into reality,” and ask me to help somebody else. Stop feeling sorry for myself, and focus on something I can do that matters.

Prayer matters!

Look UP my friends!