WHEN MY DAY FALLS APART EARLY
Christine Wyrtzen
This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24
Sometimes you know by 8:00 a.m. that your day is going to be difficult. Already, things have unraveled and your peace has gone south. Already, your day’s reservoir of patience has been used up.
I thought twice before picking today’s scripture. All too often, it has been used as a rod of correction on anyone who admits they're struggling. Please, let’s not do that! Scripture is not meant to be a muzzle; an instrument to encourage denial. How many have stopped talking to put on a happy face after someone scolded them with God’s Word? I’ve done it – just to fit in.
So what in the world can I rejoice over as I assess the mayhem of my morning? Certainly not the events I endured. Certainly not the temper of a family member who lost it at the breakfast table. But most certainly a faithful Father who will excel, once again, at fingering the ragged edges of my soul and mending them together. I rejoice (with a deep joy and comfort) that I didn’t live through it alone. I know that He saw it all and knows what it will take to help me regain my spiritual equilibrium.
I’ve noticed that I can often handle a crisis much better than an annoyance. It’s amazing what can undo me. The other day, I went to the basement to do some cleaning. One of my chores was to empty used cat litter into a garbage bag and bring it upstairs to put in the trash. It was heavy and as I climbed the stairs, the bag caught on a part of the railing bracket.
You guessed it ~ litter started running out the bottom through a large hole but I didn’t hear it because the stairs are carpeted. I reached the landing and the litter continued to drain out onto the hall carpets. Still unaware, I continued on through the house. It wasn’t until I reached the hardwood floors in our family room that I heard the sound of rain hitting the floor. I turned around to see a very long, and very deep, trail behind me. I was exclaiming out loud to myself ~ “What have you done, Christine? Oh, what have you done?!” It got the best of me. I put the bag down, went to the piano and played 30 minutes worth of Mozart Sonatas to calm down. (A childhood coping mechanism.) Still not able to deal with the mess, I went on to a few other distracting chores before having the calm to start the clean up effort.
I’m embarrassed to admit, really, that something as mundane as that got to me. But it did. I don't know about you but I find that I can’t predict what it will be that will nearly undo me.
In ten years, when I’ve long forgotten the events of my morning, God will still be doing what God does ~ watching His children live their lives, engaging His children as they cope with the events, and soothing His children with just the right words. The only One who could possibly knowjust what to say is the One who knows the mental and emotional pathways that take me to my place of utter frustration and pain.
No matter how your day started, Your Father knows and has something to say that will make your heart feel resilient again.
So I say, “Lord, I am rejoicing in You. You are Lord of my day. In Jesus' name, Amen”
Originally published Tuesday, 24 July 2018.
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