On the Bad Days

On the Bad Days

By Meredith Mills

@DazzledByTheSon

Yesterday was not a good day.

Everyone in the Mills house woke up tired from a busy weekend. And busy weekends make for long Mondays.

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The kids and I took a field trip which involved a lovely nature walk in the autumn-colored woods. An impending thunderstorm held off and the temperature was perfect.

The humidity, however, was intense. I wore rain boots instead of hiking boots so by the halfway point, I was exhausted. That halfway point happened to be at the bottom of a hill and the hike back seemed much longer than the hike in.

After a morning of learning about wildlife and preservation efforts, we headed home where a messy house greeted us and screamed of work that needed to be done. My afternoon to-do list didn’t include all the kiddo needs that arose, and I failed to handle those “interruptions” with grace.

It was not a good day.

As I look back on it, however, I see much for which to be thankful, so many things to slow down and savor, even in the chaos of the day.

Surely I could have done better.

But I didn’t. I didn’t live the day well.

Maybe it’s because I neglected to keep coming back to Jesus. I forgot that on my own I can’t do better. I can’t chose patience, grace or gratitude without staying connected to Christ, without yielding my heart and expectations to Him in each moment.

stability of my times

“And He will be the stability of your times, a wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge. The fear of the Lord is his treasure” Isaiah 33:6.

Underneath the shifting sands of emotional ups and downs, God is the bedrock for our souls. He offers the stability of His unchanging heart and faithfulness of character.

He’s the steady Source of everything I need in every moment – salvation from the sins that tempt me, wisdom when I don’t know how to parent, knowledge of His heart when I lose sight of His face – all these things in abundant measure.

In big struggles and little frustrations, God understands. He offers wisdom and grace for each one – and new mercies with every rising sun. 

Stability in unstable times – this is God our treasure.

How has God been your stability this week? In what ways do you need Him to be your unchanging Rock today? Please comment below – I’d love to hear.

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