One of Those Days 

Yesterday, I had one of those days. One of those days where everything seemed to go wrong. Nothing huge, nothing life-changing, but just a lot of little things.

The sweet treat I tried to make for my hubby (that never fails), failed. The slice that took longer to cook in the oven than it usually does. The coffee grounds made a mess all over my counter. The car I wanted to take out to run an errand, was blocked in by other cars, which meant a trip back upstairs to get the other keys. My desire to be able to be home most of the day turned into 6 trips to town and nothing much accomplished on the home front. Dropping a wet, freshly washed item in the dirt as I was hanging the washing. Pegs breaking in my hand from being brittle from the sun. And I think you get the picture.

Do you ever have one of those days? You start your day off well. You spend time in God’s Word. You take time to pray and seek His guidance and ask for His blessing for your day, and yet, it all falls apart.

Now, often when I am faced with these days, my tendency is to have a bad attitude, and grumble and complain about the terrible state of affairs. To turn towards self-pity and hope that will someone will join my pathetic pity party and gripe along with me.

But, lately, I have been doing some studies on 12 disciplines of a grateful heart (see blog posts on holmestead7.blogspot.com/). In studying through them and looking into the verses in scripture that encourage thankfulness, I have been convicted that an attitude adjustment is in order.

Not only do I need to change my attitude, but I need to rejoice in these small trials.

If I just turn the little annoying upsets on their head and look at them from a grateful heart perspective, everything changes.

Take the sweet treat for hubby for instance.  I praise God that I had the ingredients and the kitchen appliances needed to make it (and after all, I turned it into something else, and he loved it so much, that it was good it didn’t work out how I had originally planned).

The coffee grounds? Well, I’m just glad I have a coffee machine and the ability to make fresh coffee at home instead of making yet another trip to town to spend money on this luxury.

The car blocked in? Well, praise God we have more than one car to be able to run errands in!

My 6 trips to town? Well, one of those trips allowed me time with my beautiful granddaughters that I wouldn’t have had that day had my plans gone ahead.

Dropping clean washing in the dirt? Well PRAISE GOD I have a washing machine to rewash it, and I don’t have to trudge all the way down to the creek to get a bucket of water to handwash my clothes!

And pegs? Well, I’m glad I have them, although they break, they are very handy little items that keep ALL my washing from flying through the air and onto the ground!

Do you see what I’m getting at? A continual heart of gratitude. An attitude of thankfulness. Turning things upside down and looking at them another way. Instead of seeing our trials as burdens, seeing them as blessings.

Our low points can be turned into high points! Our grumbles into gratefulness!

Now, I have a long way to go in this department, but I know that the Lord can and will work on my heart if I am willing to let him. And when I have one of those days and life gets me down, I have only to look at the blessings that He so freely gives, despite my sinful state, despite my grumpy attitude, and it should cause me to fall on my knees at His feet and give praise to Him.

Psalm 71:8

 Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.

Psalm 13:6

 I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.

Habakkuk 3:18

 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

So, the next time you have one of those days, turn your burdens into blessings and start praising God for all the little things He does for you and you will find that your blessing list will be innumerable, measureless, and so abundant that the little things that bothered you will soon fade into obscurity in the face of such bountiful blessings.

Philippians 4:19

 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.