So You Had a Bad Day

Read Lamentations 3:22-33



Borrowed from Kristen Welch at (in)courage.me

I snuggled down deeper in the quilt. I was sound asleep, in that dream-place that feels good from head to toe.
I was oblivious to clock and sun and in a calamity of events, neither did their job.


The frantic doorbell woke me. I sat straight up to blinking digital numbers and jolted to the kitchen, dumbfounded that I had overslept an hour. My kids were still asleep, now late for school.


I sent my carpool, doorbell-ringing friend on and my kids stumbled down the stairs, grumbling and frustrated.
I pushed them to brush teeth and hair and barked orders that come with the hurried life.


Rush. Hurry. Push. Fret.


I dropped each off at school, hoping the quick prayer and apology calmed their abnormal morning.
Pulling up the driveway, I turned the car off and took a deep breath. Still pajama-clad, with messy hair, I sat still, trying to remember if my kids ate breakfast in our haste.


Guilt hung heavy and I bowed my head in defeat. Four words flashed: It’s a bad day.


The clock didn’t even read 8:30 A.M. yet and my day was doomed with unspoken thoughts.


I tried to find my routine, but failure clung through the quick shower. I dressed and sat down at my desk. The house was quiet, messy, accusing.


But then my day turned completely around.


It wasn’t good news that cleared away the bad morning blues. It wasn’t something witty I read or said on Twitter or any one thing I can blame.


It was a simple choice.


To turn a bad day into a good one.


I started over-with simple thanks, a word to My Father, a call to my hubby (spilling it all out), a reminder to myself that I’m only human and that maybe we all needed that extra hour of sleep.


I was feeling better with each thought.


And the Scripture I rehearse, His mercies are new every morning. . .I changed to every minute. Because they are. New, all day long.


I used to think when I tried to diet and failed, I’d have to wait for an entire revolution of the the clock to start calorie-counting again. And I would just keep failing all.day.long.


But a bad moment or hour can still be a day we give thanks.


How we turn a bad day around:

     Recognize it for what it is
     Look for the lesson
     Make a conscience choice to be thankful
     Give it to God and ask for a restart


We are all going to have bad days, it’s just a part of the good life.


But we always have a choice to turn the bad into good.