It was a long drive to the office. That was after a long week of traveling with long days. Once at the office, several scheduled calls were canceled. And it went downhill from there with several miscommunications. Then the long drive back home. It was one of those days.
“A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.” —Franklin D. Roosevelt
Long Drive on A Long Day
I Peter 4:12 NIV
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
On that drive, I kept thinking I couldn’t wait to get home. I was just glad the day was over and I was trying to get the difficult situations of the day out of my head. To distract myself from the difficult day, I tuned in to an audiobook. It was Jordan Raynor’s book, The Sacredness of Secular Work.
When I finally pulled into the drive, I felt a sense of peace. Finally home! As I dragged myself into the house, I quickly noticed that Carmen was on the phone with her mentor Bridget. Keith, Bridget’s husband, is my mentor. And together, Keith and Bridget mentor us as a couple. We often have virtual coffee with them and enjoy our talks, which sometimes last several hours.
A Time For Wisdom
As I entered, Carmen put her phone on speaker. Bridget did the same and Keith jumped in on the call as well.
I soon realized that Carmen, already knowing I was having a hard day, had called Bridget for prayer and support. Once Keith and I joined the call, Keith and Bridget spoke with great wisdom and encouragement about my situation.
Proverbs 19:20 AMP
Listen to counsel, receive instruction, and accept correction,
That you may be wise in the time to come.
A Time For Laughter
Once they had poured into me, our conversation turned to humor. And God does have a great sense of humor! We all began to share some of our favorite comedian’s best moments. It wasn’t long before we were laughing pretty hardily!
Proverbs 17:22a AMP
A happy heart is good medicine and a joyful mind causes healing,
A Time For Prayer
As expected, they prayed for me and my situation. They also prayed for Carmen and me on our journey together with Christ.
Romans 12:12 ESV
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
A Time For Rest
What a rich time it was. We had the Holy Spirit with us and ministering to us. As usual, we had Keith and Bridget by our side in the toughest moments. And Carmen and I had each other. By the time we finished the call, I was ready for a great night of rest to be ready to tackle a new day tomorrow.
Matthew 11:28 NIV
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
A Time of Reflection
What now do I take away from a day such as this, you know, “one of those days?” There is quite of bit. Let me just put it into a nutshell for you:
- One of Those Days happens more often than not – so it’s more about you and what you did with it
- Be prepared – we live in a broken world and there will always be challenges and issues. How prepared are you for “one of those days?”
- Have others around you. I, and Carmen, have our mentors on speed dial. We have others who we can call as well. We need others. God designed us to be connected.
- Communication is always key. Don’t read between the lines but seek clarity from the source.
- There are probably quite a few steps I am missing here, but this last one is the most important and can be summed up in one word:
WITH
It’s not what I can get from God because of who He is.
It’s not about me having the answers and being right and so being over God because my way is better than His, “God, I have this figured out.”
And it’s not based on what I’ve done in being so Christ-like out of obedience and being under God, so now I will take my reward.
And it’s not about what I can do for God, because does He need me to do anything for Him?
But it’s about “with God.” God wants us to be with Him. He wants to be with us. As Skye Jethani describes in his book, With: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God, it’s not about what we do for God. And it’s not about what we get from God.
Simply put, it’s about being with God. It’s that everyday-walking-around-kind-of-life we live with Jesus, day in and day out even when it’s one of those days.
Challenge of the Week
How have you prepared for when One of Those Days comes? I would say the challenge is to spend time WITH God and recognize His presence with you throughout your whole day, every step you take. There is no better place to be than to be with Him! So be it.
