It was one of those days.
You know, the kind where the kids wake up too early – stuck at home because everyone has snotty noses- in bad moods – and it’s dreary outside.
The kind of day where nothing goes right.
I hadn’t had one of those days in a while.
My husband wasn’t going to be home all day so I knew I would have to keep them entertained. My daughter was trying to color but couldn’t get the design that was in her mind on paper. The other child was bored and trying to annoy his sister. Markers were flying across the room and voices were shouting.
It was only 6:30 A.M. and I was already calling it a bad day.
I pulled out every single board game that we owned. This caused even more drama – We hate losing in this family.
I made up obstacle courses for them to play. This usually does the trick…
Not today!
Not even a movie could salvage this day.
“Lord, what is going on!?”
And just like that, I started to feel incompetent as a mom.
Just the other day, we were at the public library, and I saw a mom carrying her baby while practically dragging her crying toddler into the bathroom. I said to myself, “Thank goodness I’m out of that stage.”
Was I out of that stage? What other stages would come?
Then I remembered what someone spoke to me at a church event the night before. Our kids were running around as the adults were conversing and we kept telling them to stop running. A woman, who was almost a great grandma, saw my kids and said,
“This brings back good memories!”
Well, I’m glad someone isn’t questioning my parenting skills. I thought to myself.
She proceeded to say how she has 4 kids. When they were little, she would bring them to the church, and they would do the same thing- Acting like they own the place because their parents work there.
“Those were some fun times. It goes by too fast.” She said with a smile.
I don’t think she knew how much those words would mean to me.
How kind of God to give me this word the day before, so I would have that conversation fresh in my mind to remind me of the bigger picture.
My phone buzzed and there read the best words every mom loves. “I’m coming home babe.”
Thank goodness!
Later in the evening, I went outside for some fresh air and a short run. The verse that I least expected came to mind, Psalm 118.
This is the day that the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 NIV
I laughed to myself.
Really God, is that the verse I need?
I don’t know what kind of day you have had lately. Maybe it’s been chaotic like mine, or maybe it’s a traumatic experience and the last thing you want to do is rejoice and be glad.
But this verse doesn’t depend on our circumstances. They aren’t words about a beautiful sunrise, behaved kids, or a perfect day. It’s about the rise of the son of God. The day when God exalted Jesus as the cornerstone of his kingdom.
The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this. Psalm 118:22 NIV
The word capstone means: holding together broken pieces.
So whatever happened today:
Maybe your infant spit up all over you.
Maybe your kids were disobeying.
Maybe your friend said something hurtful.
Maybe you got a cancer diagnosis.
Maybe your spouse left you.
Whatever it is, picture all of those pieces shattering around you- But before they hit the ground, Jesus comes in catching every piece and hugging it close.
Jesus makes a way.
He holds our broken pieces, making us new each day.
If you are having “one of those days” I hope you can see that every day is a gift! Rather than focusing on your own chaos, turn to Jesus for the stability and support you need when everything else feels shaky.
:
When I stepped back inside, the house was quiet. My husband had gotten our daughter to take a nap and everything was calm again. The first words out of my mouth to my husband were,
“Thank You!”
And – Thank you God for teaching me something new today through the chaos.
Bad days come and go, but God remains the same.
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