The guilt and condemnation pour over me as I think about the “bad day” that I was having. What had I done wrong? Perhaps it was my pessimism coming to a head again. Maybe I just needed a more positive attitude. Or maybe God was punishing me for my unkindness to my children as we were getting ready for school that morning. I should have kept my mouth shut. I should have prayed and asked God for patience before entering into a discussion with my daughter about her unbrushed hair.
Then there was the broken dishwasher, the mess from the dog, and the unruly rooster that attacked my daughter, drawing blood from her leg. I saw her heading to the office for a band aid when I pulled away from the school wondering why I had failed to offer her one before we left the house.

One Of Those Days…

And as I sought to sleep off my frustration and annoyance that day with a quick nap, my husband told me that the school called to say that my son may have broken his arm and needed to go to the emergency room. In an instant, my feelings of what had transpired over the course of the day came out in one tired, snarky word: “Seriously?”.
Perhaps you have had a day like mine recently, so full of chaos that you can’t seem to escape. Nothing catastrophic has happened, yet there have been enough little mishaps to label it a bad day. Or, maybe it’s been one of those days when tears gather on your lower lid, waiting for a blink to push them out. Maybe it’s one of those days where you try to find an explanation for your urge to fall apart; a continual holding-it-together-hoping-to-avoid-a-trigger day because if you cry you won’t be able to say why. You know...just one of those days.
If you are like me, you may believe that you are the only one who has bad days. You may look at others in life and only see “No Bad Days” plastered across their foreheads. You believe the lie that if you are in Christ you are not allowed bad days. You may have been misled to think that once saved your life would simply be a tip-toe through the tulips and you wonder where you’ve gone wrong.

Do You Believe You're Being Punished?

Maybe you believe that your bad days are a punishment for your sin. As if you are finally getting what you deserve from God. If that is the case, please rest in Romans 8:1, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.” There is no wrath left for you, and the unraveling of your day is NEVER a barometer of God’s affection. In fact, as our days start to spin out of control, we can be assured that because we now have Christ’s righteousnessGod continues to be as pleased with us as he is with his Son.
It is in the midst of our bad days that our sin and weakness is magnified, showcasing our desperate need for the strength of Christ. And these are often the days that he is most glorified as we are reminded of our need to be rescued and we turn, once again, to Him.
God is the lover of those who have bad days. He loves to love you in your weakness. He pursues you in your pessimism. He desires you when you are undesirable. He loves you when you are unlovely. Believe that no matter what kind of day you have had--whether good or bad--that you remain His longed for beloved, His heart’s desire and His beautiful bride. There is no sin or circumstance that will ever change that. Rest. You are free. You are loved.