“Mama said there’d be days like this, there'd be days like this my Mama said…”
Well, this day was turning into one of those weeks.
Physically, I was sick. There was no getting around the fact that I felt awful. Adding insult to injury, the medicine I was taking to “feel better” was playing games with my head leaving me ridiculously tired and confused.
Under ordinary circumstances, this wouldn’t have been such a big deal. However, this particular week didn’t allow a lot of time to grab a pillow and blanket so I could rest and recover. Instead, it was a week filled with stress and pressure. There were places we HAD to go and things we HAD to do. They weren’t even just normal, hectic things. No, these were new, stressful, it’s-all-riding-on-this events. Unfortunately, neither the infirmity that was attacking my body nor the medicine that was clouding my judgment cared that this was a very important week. Long story short, I was a hot mess!
Still, if these had been the only factors in play, I still might have been able to cope.
But there was one more piece to be added to the puzzle---let’s call it the straw that broke the camel’s back.
What was it?
Well, there was a person in my life (not my brother) who made it their life’s mission for that week to annoy me, upset me, and drive me absolutely crazy. Every time I turned around, there they were, doing something to work my last nerve. (Trust me; between the sickness, the stress, and the medicine, there weren’t many good nerves left.)
This pattern went on for about 4 days before I knew I had reached the end of my rope. Knowing that I needed Divine Intervention to keep from losing my religion (or my mind) I went to my room to get alone with God.
I think my prayer went something like “HELP!!!!!!”
Honestly, I didn’t feel well enough to find the words to pray, so I decided to turn on some praise music and start focusing on worship. Slowly, my thoughts began to shift from my stress and frustration, and onto the words of the songs. As the worship music continued to calm my crazy mind and lead me into the presence of God, I felt led to start praying in tongues (still not able to adequately express myself using words, by praying in tongues I was able to pour out my heart to God).
It was sometime during this process that this Scripture verse ran through my mind:
2 Corinthians 4:7-8, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”
The truth is that we all have days where we are keenly aware that we are nothing more than fragile, cheap earthen vessels---jars of clay. We all go through times where our physical limitations, the pressure of circumstances around us, or even the evils that continue to lurk in our own hearts remind us that we are nothing more than flawed human beings.
Thankfully, these revelations are not a shock to God.
Psalm 103:13-14, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.”
He already knows that the only way we can live the Christian life or accomplish anything for His kingdom is through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Zechariah 4:6 : “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.”
No, these lessons aren’t news to God---it’s just you and I who need to be reminded of them from time to time. Maybe that’s why God allows us to have days like this every once in awhile---to remind us of the importance of staying connected to Him. Sometimes we need to be reminded of our own weaknesses so that we are forced to remember that we can’t do anything without Christ’s strength. With this reminder, we are encouraged and challenged all over again to refocus our attention on prayer, worship, and connecting with our Source of Strength---Jesus.
Perhaps today, you are having “one of those days”. What should you do?
----Start by relaxing and realizing that just because you’re having problems doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong. Life happens to everyone during every season of life. Accept that you are a “jar of clay” and go with it.
----Make the choice to draw closer to Jesus.
Spend time in prayer; listen to worship music; if you’re baptized in the Holy Spirit, pray in tongues; read the Bible. Don’t run away from God during a time of weakness or struggle. Instead, run to Him so that He can strengthen you and empower you to keep going on your personal life journey.
----Rely on God’s strength for everything that you need.
----Obediently follow Jesus until He causes things to change.
The truth is that Mom was right---all of us will have bad days. However, these bad days can be a good thing if we use them to grow closer to Jesus and allow His power to shine through our jars of clay.
