If you’ve ever had a bad day, raise your hand? Come on! It is 2020, after all, and unless you have been an ostrich with your head in the sand all year, you’ve had at least a few bad days.

(Admitting you are having a bad day or that you do have bad days is a good start to not having as many bad days. It is when we pretend that everything is fine and dandy so that we look good around others or because we think God will be happier with us if we pretend, that we actually bring dishonor to the very grace of God. Of course, the flip side of pretending that we never have bad days is when we languish in our bad days and nurture our bad days and so much so that we fail to see any grace from God’s Hand and that is also a dishonor to our loving Father.)

I wrote this paragraph back in 2018. I doubt too many people pretend anymore that they never have bad days. We’ve all been touched by Covid-19 and all that has come with it in this historical year. The bad days have been relentless and are too hard to ignore. But, I do think many of us…including me…have languished in our bad days; the country’s bad days and we have failed to see God’s Hand in 2020. We have failed to allow The Gospel to raise us above the bad days and live in God’s amazing grace!

I have had my share of bad days in 2020…anticipated events cancelled, family and friend connections jostled, income reduced and then lost completely, an upheaval of our home, a month of sickness (Thank you, Covid) and the unexpected loss of a loved one (Not Covid. There are still other ways to die.) Yikes! It’s only August! I am confident your experience of 2020 is very similar to mine. Lots of bad days all strung together.

And yet, I have to come to terms with the most common reason I have bad days. I argue with God about what He is doing in my life, in the lives of those I love, in my country and in our world. Worse, I try to tell Him what to do! I try to tell God how to fix things! How arrogant! To think that I can tell God what to do and how to do it.

Though God is big enough and wise enough and gracious enough to handle my arrogance just fine, if I persist and resist the Holy Spirit’s truth to me and refreshment for me in the year 2020, the consequence is a long string of bad days. 

I’ve had too many bad days recently; too much arguing with God about what He is doing or…in my finite thinking…not doing. I’ve resisted taking the steps and willingness to thrive in the Holy Spirit’s process. Now, I am finally tired of the bad days and I want to participate in the steps to have fewer bad days and when they do come, to not stay in them as long.

And I know where to go to start in that process and to take those steps: God’s Word. There is an abundance of Bible Heroes who had bad days and plenty of guidance from God’s interaction with them for me to learn and re-learn how to handle bad days.

Our circumstances have not changed. I don’t think anyone predicts 2020 having fewer bad days. 

But God…

Psalm 23

A Psalm of David

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the quiet waters.

He restores my soul; He guides in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the House of the Lord forever.

I hope you will join me and rediscover God’s amazing grace and mercy for us all!  Next time, David will tell us more about overcoming those bad days.