Have you ever had one of those days?
You know the ones I mean.
The day begins with a snafu that you want to fix, but attempts to do so lead to more delays and roadblocks. Followed by more snafus, delays, and roadblocks.
I had one of those this week.
I pay the bills for my disabled elderly neighbor. He has given me power of attorney to do so. He can barely see and hears less, so I’m happy to assist. He had to move into assisted living earlier last fall, but his mail keeps coming to his home which is convenient for me to retrieve.
Only without warning the bills stopped coming. All of his mail stopped coming.
What the . . .?”
I called the utility company to see if his bill had been mailed. They wouldn’t tell me anything because I’m not listed on his contact list. I had to prove I was legit. Go figure.
More incidents followed that one. My morning spiraled downward into a heap of despair. The tension mounted. I was Angry. Overwhelmed. Disheartened. I wanted to shout. My world was collapsing around me.
My Bible lay nearby. I felt a tap on my shoulder. Daughter, may I have a word?
I picked up the book and sought solace there. It opened to Ecclesiastes. Solomon was lamenting the state of man’s existence. Couldn’t have agreed more. Then I turned to Psalms. The wicked are winning. Yep.
Finally I turned to Romans and found what God wanted me to hear:
Romans 5:1-5: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we rejoice in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation works patience: And patience, experience; and experience, hope.”
That’s what my heart longed for. Hope. To attain that I needed to rejoice in my tribulations. Rejoice?
With a humbled spirit, I prayed. The angst I’d felt before subsided. I worked through my challenges with calm.
After that my day improved. By its end, God had met every barrier with a solution. It was, after all, one of those days.
His.