Not so Bad Days

Well it was one of "those" days. I had been cooking for quite awhile when I realized that I was wearing my apron backwards, but maybe that was a good idea anyway since the front was decorated with particles of food.

The can opener and I had a disagreement and the can opener beat me to a pulp. A pulp of frustration and near tears.

Efficiently I buttered all my bread, so it would be ready for the 40 grilled cheese sandwiches I would make. Then there was a bit of imbalance of the pan and gravity took control and all of my slices of bread fell on the floor.

Nothing really went right besides the fact homemade chicken noodle soup was greatly enjoyed, but even that failed because I didn't make enough.

I really wanted to whine and grip about my apparent failures in the kitchen.

Then I get on Facebook and read statuses.

The mother who has just buried her 30 year old son. She is traveling on the long hard road of grief. Life is getting through each moment at a time and clinging to God's grace.

I read about the baby whose body was born into this world, but its life into the arms of Jesus. A mama who will heal from the birth physically, but emotionally will ache for her baby for days and days to come.

Another mother writes about the horrific emotional pain of watching her baby struggle for each breath as sickness over takes its lungs. The hour is of dark suffering and there is not much this mama can do.

These women don't have grilled cheese sandwiches and rebellious can openers on their minds. Life is getting through each moment. Wondering through a maze of grief and heart wrenching pain. Trying to live normal life, but not even sure what normal is anymore.

Sometimes life throws me what I think is an extraordinarily terrible day. I wonder though how many days are really all that horrible compared to the lives of so many hurting people? It doesn't take long before my moments of frustration seem very very small.

 Those "bad days" are needed though, because I need to learn grace. I need to learn how to respond to life with a smile.

And I need to learn to think about other people and not my own woes. And I simply need to remember that God's grace and strength is never not sufficient for each day.

 Maybe God is teaching me lessons in the little things, but He does not want me to forget those walking through the fire.

God's grace is sufficient for us all in whatever journey God is having us walk. And so in the strength of the Lord we press on to the victory.