I originally posted this back in November of 2006, when Miss Muffet, now 4, was a toddler (lovingly dubbed Toddler-tron). I find myself on Puke Patrol today, and I needed this reminder. (I also needed something easy to post, as writing something original just ain’t gonna happen today!)
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I had a challenging week. I woke up on the wrong side of the bed one day, and it was the wrong bed (my daughter has been sick). I haven’t had my usual quiet times in the morning. I’m grumpy and I’m just looking for a bad day. It’s probably likely that any day I have will be bad because I have the wrong mindset for a good day.
That doesn’t stop God, though. It doesn’t stop Him from offering me a better day. Here I am, whining and stomping and pouting. There He is, head in His hands, nodding his head, understanding, offering me relief.
You see, when things seem to be their worst, I can always find relief in prayer. When I drag myself out of my self-pity long enough to acknowledge God—maybe with a cry of “Hey, wouldja help me here?!?”—I always feel better. I don’t always feel like a light switch has been flipped, but something in me changes. I have given God the OK to make things better. You see, before I pray, when I’m almost enjoying the misery, then I’m not allowing God’s grace in. That doesn’t stop Him, mind you, but it sure makes it a lot harder. You see, God granted us free will. We can choose to be miserable, we can choose to be in agony.
On the other hand, we can choose to offer these sufferings to God, and when I do, my eyes are opened to the shower of blessings around me.
I woke up on the wrong side of the wrong bed—but it was a bed, in a house, that is warm and mine. I haven’t had my usual quiet times—but in the midst of the chaos, I have found a quiet calm and the joy of being helped by others. I’m grumpy and looking for a bad day, but I can change my outlook and look for grace instead. While I’m looking, I’ll notice the shower of blessings and the great love that abounds in my life.
I guess it wasn’t such a bad week after all. Finding the good has made the challenge a learning process for me.
