“Mama said there’d be days like this, there’d be days like this, my mama said.”
The Shirelles pop group reminded us of this 60+ years ago.
Thousands of years ago, Jesus told us the same thing:
“Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.” (John 16:33)
Even though we know that “ugh” days are part of life, they still mess with us, right?
This morning I’m working through recent “days like this.” I thought I’d share some of the key promises and perspectives I’m inviting into them, because …
You’ve been here too, right?
The big stuff—trials and sorrows that do not come with easy or quick answers—they crash into us like a sneaker wave, don’t they? We don’t see them coming, they’re overwhelming, they knock us off our feet and we start to get pulled under.
Parents dealing with massive health issues that seem impossible to overcome. Babies that need to be born too early because stuff is a little wonky. Friends on the verge of losing everything because of a bureaucratic error they cannot fix.
Country and world events are just plain scary.
It’s easy to spend hours thinking about the real-life troubles in front of us (I’ll raise my hand first on this one!), trying to come up with solutions and answers to make them all go away.
But I can’t fix them. And that makes me sad and frustrated.
So, I’m considering what to do to get back to peace and hope.
Here’s a peek into how I’m moving through my ugh …
I’m remembering that the promises and perspectives I need in this moment are not complex. The truths and shifts needed to move through this are quite simple.
I need to see God in the middle of this, and He doesn’t require me to go through hoops to find Him. He is already waiting for me, ready to provide everything I need to keep going.
When I settled into my study/prayer chair a few hours ago, I wanted to read something to get me out of my cloudy head space. I picked up one of the books I keep right next to my desk for moments like this. Shauna Niequist writes:
“What gives me hope is the belief that God will be faithful, because he has been faithful before, to me and the people around me. Just because I have forgotten how to see doesn’t mean it isn’t there. His goodness is there. His promises have been kept. All I need to do is see.” (“Celebrate Every Day: Seeing the Extraordinary in the Ordinary”)
Then I turned to Psalm 18, my go-to chapter when I’m drowning. Please don’t skim over these words of truth:
In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears…He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters….He rescued me because he delighted in me.”
Then it was time to just sit with God and let Him know all about how awful life seemed to be. (He isn’t afraid of our truth.) He wants to talk with us. He bends his ear to listen to our fears and worries, and responds with truth and love. We may not have the words or know what to say, but remember this: He knows your tears. He knows your heart. He knows what you’re in the middle of. Ask Him to enter into your situation.
I read Psalm 103. “Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me…He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagles!”
God’s Word will shift our thinking so we can refocus on HIS truth. Get our heads out of worst-case scenarios and the “what-ifs” and watch for God’s faithfulness. Trust his heart. Cling to him, rather than the ugh. We can allow him access to our minds and hearts so we can think more clearly. Breathe more deeply. Hope more freely—without being assured of the outcome we want.
Some time later I had found my breath of fresh air. The clouds had parted to make room for a few rays of sunshine and the waves had calmed down. My hope and trust in God’s faithfulness, mercy, and presence was returning.
When we were told there would be trials and sorrows, Jesus followed right up with, “But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
The God who raised Jesus from the dead, who parted the seas so people could walk across a river on dry land, who hangs the stars every night and names them – this is the same God that joins us in hospital rooms, government offices, and all the other ugh places that cross our paths.
God never quits. You are never alone.
He hears every whisper and sees every tear.
Join me in letting Him into our situations.
Allow his promises to shift our perspective and deliver hope to our hearts.
The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
(Psalm 23:1)
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