From the Book “A Cup of Hope” by Emilie Barnes
The Gift of a Terrible Day
Not too many years ago, a children’s book by Judith Viorst appeared on the market and became an instant classic. It was called Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. To my knowledge, it has never been out of print – and there’s a reason for that. It’s because every one of us knows what it’s like to have that kind of awful day.
Maybe you’re in one now – or you remember one all too vividly. A day when you feel physically terrible…or worse. When money is running low and the bills are piling up. When you have a fight with someone you care about – or you feel like picking one! When chores loom or bad news bites and you’re not sure what fire to put out first…and you’re not sure you’re even interested in fighting fires.
“In this world you will have trouble,” Jesus told us. That means we all have our quota of “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad” days. And that’s not even to mention the “stop everything” kind of bad day when we sit at a deathbed or get the legal papers or hear the diagnosis.
Bad days are just a given in this fallen world. We might as well expect them. But can we find hope in them?
I honestly think so.
After all, one of two things is true about every bad day of our lives: Either we will live through it and be given a chance at another day…and that’s reason for hope. Or we won’t live through it, and we will have the opportunity to spend eternity with a heavenly Father who loves us. That, too, is reason for hope.
At different times of your life, bad days will be different. At some points of your life you look back at your previous bad days and think, Why did I ever let all that bother me? Or you might look back and think, What a horrible time in my life! How did I ever live through that? (But you did.)
Either way, what you’ll see is that all those bad days were temporary. They all came in day-sized portions, and they all ended with a second chance, an opportunity for better days to follow. (Even the longest string of bad days eventually comes to an end.) Many of the, in addition, came with a hidden blessing – a word of encouragement that blossomed later into a relationship, a life lesson that finally clicked into place, a final confirmation that something really needed to change.
The point is, we serve a God of new beginnings. The hope he has for us is fresh every morning. So we can end our terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days with the expectation that God always has something better for us.
So thank God for the hope-giving grace of this awful day. Ask for the strength and courage to endure it, the wisdom to get through it without making other people suffer, the courage to learn and grow. And here are some things I’ve found helpful in surviving and learning from my own terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days:
* Remind yourself that no matter what happens, twenty-four hours from now this day will be over! (Lamentations 3:22-24 – Through the LORD’S mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!”)
* Marinate your heart in Scripture and prayer – especially if you feel like you don’t want to or don’t have the time. Ask God to cut through your confusion and guide you step by step through the day.
* Gripe a little bit to someone who cares – because the support and prayers of someone who knows what you’re going through can make all the difference.
* Count to ten before you respond to anyone. On bad days, your reactions tend to be off, and you could easily say something hurtful. (James 1:19-20 – Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.)
* Pay a little extra attention to caring for yourself on days when everything seems to go wrong. Try to get some exercise, to eat nutritious foods, to take your vitamins. And ask for help if you need it.
* Ask yourself, “Does God have something for me to learn on this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day?”
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Hope grows in a variety of circumstances – including rotten days!
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Words of Hope – and Hope from the Word
When I went to bed, Nick took back the pillow he said I could keep. And the Mickey Mouse nightlight burned out and I bit my tongue. The cat wants to sleep with Anthony, not with me. It has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. My mom says some days are like that. Even in Australia. –-Judith Viorst
Every day has its own particular brand of holiness to discover and worship appropriately. –-Annie Dillard
I cry aloud to the LORD;
I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy.
I pour out my complain before him;
before him I tell my trouble.
When my spirit grow faint within me,
It is you who know my way. –Psalm 142:1-3
But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. –1 Thessalonians 5:8
Let nothing disturb thee,
Let nothing affright thee.
All things are passing.
God never changes. –-St. Theresa of Avila
After reading this devotion I was able to see Philippians 4:4-9 (Rejoice in the LORD always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The LORD is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made know to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.) with a fresh pair of eyes. A new perspective. In pondering on this I realize how much things would change during our storms if we would simply stop for a moment, look to the heavens wherever we’re at and truly seek meaning in this passage. Sometimes all we have to do is look around us, look to His creations. We can find beauty in the wonders of the sky, the excellence in the detail and colors of the flowers, the softness of a baby’s skin. Our Father can take captive our thoughts and exchange them for the lovely things He has given. But we need to be still and notice His greatness. Never forget how mighty He is to save.
Ida
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