The Two Options Every Choice Gives You

“This is the day the Lord has made.
    We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24 NLT

It was a straw-that- broke-the-camel’s-back kind of day. Life going everywhere and a genuine desire of not wanting to go everywhere along with it. Do you have those kind of days too? Or is it just me? I was tired, spent, and frustrated. The icing on top of my “not today Satan” cake was a flat tire. Ugh. I sincerely just wanted to put my pjs on, crawl back in bed and forget the day……but I needed the car to pick up my husband from the airport. Since picking him up at a more convenient time (like tomorrow after my pj/movie night), or letting him live at the airport weren’t options I had to sort myself out.

I paced. 

I complained. 

I prayed.

And then God’s voice broke through with a challenge:

Can you be grateful for this?

I didn’t want to. It’s easier to complain, put pjs on and crawl back in bed with a silly movie. Is yoga pants and a funny movie an option here, God?  

And then my imagination came into play. I started wondering what it would look like to be on the highway at midnight alone with a flat tire, and stranded. My husband would still be stuck at the airport. My kids would be stuck at home. And I would be stuck, fighting a panic attack as cars whizzed by my terrified lil’ self on the side of the road. Ironically, that is when the gratitude exploded in me. Finding the flat tire when I did was actually a blessing. 

Can I get real with you for just a second? I do not not have it all together…..and I don’t know ANYONE who actually does. Life gets messy, we get messy and there is always a bit of mess to shuffle and sort through. But this entire flat tire situation reminded me of something invaluable: gratitude. We have an opportunity when the mess happens to look at circumstances or look to Jesus (btw he DOES have it all together) and focus on what we have to be grateful for. We can be angry we have a flat tire at the end of a tiring day, or we can be grateful we found it when we did. We can be upset that our family is acting they way they are….or we can be grateful for the family we’re a part of. We can lose ourselves in the sorrow or stress of the day or we can be thankful that God’s presence and kindness is always available to sustain, heal and mend our broken hearts.

(Authors note: I’m not saying we don’t get upset, frustrated or grieve. Those feelings are valid. But we also don’t have to camp out there forever. I’m learning along with the rest of us to sit with it, invite Jesus into it, and let his goodness eclipse whatever we feel like is eclipsing us. It’s a journey, and there is grace to learn and lean in when it’s hard.)

Who knows what the day holds, every detail of what God is doing or how the day will shape up? Nobody. But we do know this- THIS is the day that the Lord has made. Regardless of how it pans out, we have the choice before us to focus on the challenges or surrender, and give God thanks in the middle of it. 

Much love,

Joy