It’s just one of those days! Ever find yourself saying that when things aren’t going your way? I know I do. What about when the stars align and we can “see” the hand of God orchestrating things? I like to call those times divine appointments. Funny, though, how God can change your perspective in an instant!
Wednesday was “one of those days” for me. I had been extremely exhausted Tuesday night and after taking the night off from everything, you would have thought I would have woken up to the sound of angels singing, right? Wrong!
My phone started ringing before the alarm went off. Now, it is not that I mind phone calls, but I tend to expect the late night and early morning ones to be emergencies and this one was not. From that moment on, it seemed as if everything was rolling down hill and I couldn’t catch up. I had to pick someone up on my way to work…I got to work late and had people waiting on the porch for me. Everything was running amuck in my world where I like order. Sadly, I still find comfort in my routines. On a typical day, I like to show up a little early for work to get settled in. That generally means booting up, turning on music, making sure the candle is lit and coffee made( (never an issue with Greg around). I also like to say a prayer over my day there and the situations I am about to encounter. NONE of those things happened Wednesday. So, I felt like it was one of those days!
Once I had a chance to catch my breath and swallow my morning vitamins, I realized that I hadn’t even taken a moment to say good morning to the Lord. So, what do I do? Say a quick prayer that goes something like this, “Good Morning Lord. I am sorry I didn’t take a minute earlier, but you know how crazy this day has been. Why do these things happen to me…days that start before I’m ready and crazy people knocking on my door before I am ready? Yada yada yada…Thank you for this day. Amen.” Next, I crack open my Jesus Calling devotional and…SLAP…straight from the Holy Spirit. That day, May 22 begins…”When things don’t go as you would like, accept the situation immediately.” What? It continues, “If you indulge in feelings of regret, they can easily spill over the line into resentment. Remember that I am sovereign over your circumstances, and humble yourself under My mighty hand.” Wow! That really wasn’t what I wanted to hear at the moment. I wanted someone to pat me on the head and let me feel good about my little pity party. Much like a friend’s picture of her little girl on Facebook, I was all hunkered down and pouting and I wanted someone to acknowledge that my day was terrible.
Let’s fast forward…later that same day, a gentleman comes in to speak to Greg and I. He has been volunteering here in town for a local agency. While working there, he has become acquainted with one of the employees who recently had open heart surgery. Because of her surgery, she is unable to maintain her yard and things around her home. This gentleman has a need to settle a debt that the Jeremiah Tree has not been able to settle. While sharing his need with this woman, she made an offer to settle his debt, if he would come do her yard work at her home. He was amazed that someone would make that offer to him. And, ever so smartly, I inform him that we call those things “Divine Appointments.”
Funny, right? You have no idea that in my head/heart/spirit I was saying, “Really, Kristi. Do you know what you are talking about?”
I cannot tell you how many times this has played through my head. I know I don’t believe in coincidence, and that everything happens for a reason. So, why is it when I perceive God’s hand at work a blessing I call it a divine appointment. Yet, when I am less thrilled with His appointment of people/places/things in my life I see them as interruptions and say it’s just one of those days. Because when I say it’s just one of those days, I am truly saying that this is one of those days where nothing is going right, it can only go wrong. So, the question I have been asking myself is, do I really believe that God is Sovereign. Do I really believe that nothing in life happens by coincidence?
Funnier still is that as a graduate of Celebrate Recovery, the first principle states realize that I am not God and that I am powerless…and I completely believe that. So, why is it that when things aren’t going my way, I behave as if God is not God and not in control and the world is just spinning out of control? You know why…because of selfish pride. I no longer struggle with addiction, but I still struggle with, “I want what I want when I want it.” And I think that there are a lot of people struggling with the same issue. We all know someone who thinks the world revolves around them, and none of us like that person. My prayer for today is that the Lord would continue to show me when I AM that person. In the words of Louie Giglio, may I say each day, “I am not, but I know I AM.”
But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?” God replied to Moses, “I AM Who I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.” ~Exodus 3:13-14 NLT
Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, ~ 1 Peter 5:6a AMP
ThankfullyHisGirl 