Wednesday Bible Blurb A Bad Day 12 18 2024
“SAD DAD BAD HAD Dad is sad. Very, very sad. He had a bad day. What a day Dad had!” Dr. Seuss. When I was a child, I used to love it when Mom would read Dr. Seuss books to me…then I grew up. Have any of you ever had a “bad day”? I am positive assurance that everyone has had a bad day. The question is, what do we do about it?
I found a short journal note I wrote to myself last Summer about a “bad week”.
Journaled on July 11, 2024
What a day…or week…
Sunday, flat tire on Rock Creek Road. My first flat there in 57 years. We could not get the spare tire to come down from under the car. I think it is stuck from sand and rocks in it. Our son, Gordon drove by and took mom to Missoula, and they had to buy a new tire. He returned to Rock Creek where I was waiting by the car (about two miles upriver and a three hour wait) and we put the new tire on. We were never able to get the spare tire to come down that day.
Tuesday. Went to the doc because of my hip. It has been decided that I need a new one. Probably get the new hip next December. (Note: New hip was put in on December 9, 2024). Ouch.
Late last night I went to close the garage door. As the door went down the roller pully thingies came out of the track. After looking I could see the cable had come undone and was wound around the pully bar. With Mom’s help, I loosened some bolts and put the cable back on and retightened the bolts. The garage door still did not open and close correctly. Gordon came home from a walk, and we worked together to try to fix it. We could see the door was no longer level, so we held one side up and wound the cable tighter. Still the door got jammed and finally a pully flew off and hit Gordon in the head. Fixed the pully. We thought if we could level it out, we could get it to go up and down. Nope. Eventually the door came crashing down and smashed the concrete floor. Door broke. The track railing bent, and wheels came flying off. We decided to call the garage door guy in the morning. Too late smart, too soon dumb on our part.
Went to bed around midnight after working on the garage door with Gordon. Lily our cat was uncharacteristically outside at this time of night.
4 A.M. Bonnie let Lily cat in who gleefully ran down to the bedroom and she hopped-up on the bed purring loudly to cuddle with me, right by my face. A very loving, purring cat who was covered in skunk spray. Put Lily back outside. Washed the sheets.
5 A.M. The neighbors’ roosters decided to send out the wake-up alarm, so the neighbor’s dog joined in with the crowing. First a cat with skunk spray and now loud animal sounds after a long night trying to fix the garage door. Is sleep aloud?
8:30 A.M. Now waiting for the garage door guy to come and fix the door and worse, waiting to give Lily cat a de-skunk bath.
Your Truly,
Montana Mike
PS. A new Artios course started last night for me. It is called “The Christian Life.” Good thing too as a non-Christian life would be no fun at all…
We all have bad days and trials in our life. Writing from the gentile city of Philippi, Paul says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” (Phil 4:6 [NKJV]). Good advice for a bad day.
Daniel 3. Shadrah, Meshack and Abednego had a really bad day. For following and worshipping the TRUE God they were condemned to death and to be burnt in a fiery furnace heated seven times hotter than normal. Instead, they walked around inside the fiery furnace with God and had a wonderful gospel story to tell King Nebuchadnezzar when they got out. A really bad day turned out for good.
Daniel 6. For kneeling and worshipping the TRUE God three times a day, Daniel was condemned to death in the lion’s den. Instead, he got to pet the big kitties all night long and had a wonderful gospel story to tell King Nebuchadnezzar when he got out. A really bad day turned out for the good.
I Kings 19:18. After defying King Ahab and defeating the 850 pagan prophets of Baal and Ashtaroth, Elijah fled in fear. Alone and hiding in a cave God fed him by the beak of a raven. He was having a really bad day. Then God told him, “Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” A really bad day turned out for the good.
Acts 16. Paul and Silas had preached the gospel in the Roman gentile city of Philippi as Roman citizens. They were arrested, beaten and thrown into the local jail house. Around mid-night they began to pray and sing songs to God. As a result, there was an earthquake, their shackles fell off and the prison doors were opened. The jailer and his entire family accepted Jesus that night. As Roman citizens this should not have happened to Paul and Silas. Yet, as we saw above in Phil. 4:6, they remained cheerful on their really bad day. A really bad day turned out for the good.
II Corinthians 11:16-33. Paul lists his trials and the many bad days he had as an apostle of Jesus. Shipwrecks, beatings, imprisonments, lack of food, cold, hot no shelter, scourging’s and many more bad days. Yet, at the end of his life it is recorded that, “Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.” (Acts 28:30-31). A list of really bad days for Paul turned out to be for the good.
Shadrach, MeShack, Abednigo, Daniel, Elijah and Paul all had bad days, just as we do. What did they do to turn things around? They prayed, sang songs, walked with God and had the faith to go on and preach the gospel. And every time it turned into a good day.
John 19. Jesus had a really bad day too. He was betrayed by a friend, falsely accused, scourged, beaten, spit on, lied about and eventually crucified. Just before he died, He said, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:34). Jesus preached the gospel from the cross itself. He preached so well and whole heartily that the thief on the cross next to Him accepted Jesus as His savior as they both were dying. A really bad day turned out for the good.
When we have our bad days, do not despair, rely on God, preach the gospel and a really bad day will turn out for the good.
Now that I am older, I understand Dr. Seuss “SAD DAD BAD HAD Dad is sad. Very, very sad. He had a bad day. What a day Dad had!” Now, we as His disciples need to take the bad days and let them turn out for the good by preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God.
