This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24
“Sometimes you feel like a nut…sometimes you don’t.” You might remember that as the slogan for the Mounds candy company. One of their candy bars has almonds and one doesn’t. Frankly…I like them both. The slogan reminds me of the way days sometimes go. Sometimes they are smooth sailing and sometimes, well, they aren’t. There is an old saying that asks the question, “Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed today?” It usually means someone is a bit grumpy and often it is associated with the day they are having. It goes back in time when getting out of bed on the left side was akin to bad luck and a bad day.
One of my favorite kid’s books is titled, “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.” It’s a humorous account of a little boy who has not a day, but seemingly a life, that constantly goes south. Ever wonder what a bad day might look like? Well, someone wrote a list of ten things that might be very good indicators of a very bad day. It goes like this.
Top Ten Indicators of a bad day!
1. You realize you just sprayed spot remover under your arms instead of deodorant.
2. Your doctor tells you that you are allergic to chocolate chip cookies.
3. The gypsy fortune teller offers to refund your money.
4. The worst player on the golf course wants to play you for money.
5. Everyone is laughing…but you.
6. You turn on the news and they are showing emergency routes out of your city.
7. You wake up to the soothing sound of running water…and remember you just purchased a water bed.
8. Your horn sticks on the freeway–behind 32 guys riding motorcycles, wearing leathers, chains and very angry looks.
9. You call the crisis hotline and they put you on hold.
10. Your four year old tells you that it’s ALMOST impossible to flush a grapefruit down the toilet.
Well, I hope that made you smile. We all have stories of days when it seemed like Murphy (of Murphy’s Law fame) was our worst best friend and absolutely nothing goes right. It makes us want to go back to bed and try it all again. Well, something that just keeps rolling around in my head (and my heart) is this scripture that talks about the fact that God makes each day. It says, “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” I’m glad it didn’t say be happy about it because that might really be hard. No, it says, “Rejoice” or be joyful. You see joy and happiness are not the same. Happiness depends on circumstances and joy depends on our trust in God—and those two things are far, far apart.
I have to admit that I am not always the most optimistic person, though I do try to see the glass as half full rather than half empty. But I am learning that if I look around closely, I will see little love notes from my Dearest Daddy. Mostly they are small, little blessings that can go unnoticed. But if I slow down and look around, there they are. I think it is important to train our eyes, and minds, to look for the ways He works His God magic. So, why not decide that today, right now, you are going to journey today with an eye for Him. You might be surprised how differently your day goes. Oh, and if it really is a difficult day, if it really seems like Alexander’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, well, just remember that every day and any day, “He’s got this.”
Bro. Dewayne
Grits with Grace 