The Power of a Bad Day

“... ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10, NLT)

I had a bad day. A friendship was tested, someone said something that wasn’t true, and things at work didn’t go as I expected.

As I sat down at the end of the day and vented to my husband, one thing stood out as my main issue with my not-so-good day: I didn’t have control.

If I had control, I could have avoided confrontation with my friend. I could have smoothed things over better or gone back to fix what had gone wrong. If I could have seen any of this coming, I might have done more to avoid it. If only I had been more thorough at work, I wouldn’t have had any problems. If only I could stop making mistakes.

When my thinking starts to spiral into despair, usually I can snap out of it. This was one of the rare days when I couldn’t, and when I woke up the next morning, the day before still hung on me like a fog.

Jumping into my Bible reminds me that it’s okay to not have control over my circumstances. No matter how uncomfortable I feel or how much I thrash and fight to gain some semblance of my own power, it evades me, and it always will.

In these moments of weakness, I often turn to Ecclesiastes. It’s arguably one of my favorite books, if not only for the reminder that life has its storms and that, in the grand scheme of things, what really matters is the Lord. My attitude can affect a lot of how I view life, and it’s here that Ecclesiastes gives me a way to correct my thinking.

“... It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life.” (Ecclesiastes 5:18)

I view these storms as opportunities to lean into God’s strength with gratefulness for what he’s given me. Because, like the author of Ecclesiastes says, it’s a blessing and a gift of God to be able to enjoy what I do and accept my lot in life. No matter my lot, God’s sovereignty gives me comfort and encourages my faith.

I don’t despise my weakness and lack of control, but I take comfort in the strength of God and his provision over my life. Where I cannot sway a heart, he can. Where I can’t make things go the way I want, God has a plan in store that is better than I can imagine.

Lord, thank you for your Word and your wisdom. Thank you for the comfort and promises we can find in the Bible, and help us to find our strength in you when times get hard. Grow our faith and remind us that with you, our hearts are made whole. Help us to see you beyond the bad days, and bless us with the ability to enjoy our lives, and to praise you for all you’ve done for us.

Copyright © 2019 Sarah Limardo, used with permission.