What To Do With a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

(2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

When our children were still small I remember reading a classic little children's book titled, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Alexander was a likable little fellow who woke up one morning to a rather difficult day. He says: “I went to sleep with gum in my mouth and now there’s gum in my hair. When I got out of bed this morning I tripped over the skateboard and by mistake I dropped my sweater in the sink while the water was running and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.” Alexander then proceeds to give us a blow-by-blow account of his day, and at the end of it he says: “Lima beans for dinner and I hate limas. There was kissing on TV and I hate kissing. My bath was too hot. I got soap in my eyes. I bit by tongue. The cat wants to sleep with Anthony, not with me. It has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. I think I’ll move to Australia.”

We all know the feeling. Perhaps you’ve had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week, or a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year. We’ve all had days when we wanted to run somewhere - anywhere to get away from our troubles. But the problem is no matter where we go, we’re still likely to experience terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days – even if we ran all the way to Australia! Running away or ignoring our problems won’t fix them. Our troubles seem to be able to run faster than us and arrive at our destination even before we get there! In the verse above we are reminded by the Lord what to do on those terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days:

1. Don’t Loose Heart. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. Anytime you see the word “therefore” in Scripture it requires a look at the preceding context. Paul says in a preceding verse: “because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.” In other words – there’s a better day coming! Not just a better day, but a fantastic day. If you have repented and surrendered your life to the Lord, you will stand before the glory of God because of the finished work of Jesus Christ at the Cross. No matter what’s causing your terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day at this moment, when you remember that the stain of sin has been wiped away – not in part but the whole – it will be well with your soul.

2. Evaluate Your Circumstances From A Proper Perspective. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

You can’t understand life by looking through a peep hole! What you are seeing today is only one frame out of an entire movie. If we went to the theatre this afternoon and watched a movie after it had begun for only sixty seconds, it’s not likely we would be able to make sense out of what we would see. It would be confusing to us. Why? Because we wouldn't know what came before that minute of video, nor would we know what came after. A sixty second scene could only make sense in the greater context of the film. Paul says you need to see your life from a greater perspective. No matter what you are facing at this moment, it is only one frame – one moment of time in what God is presently doing in your life. There is a sovereign God above who will provide sustaining grace for whatever you are facing. He has a plan and purpose for your life which he will ultimately accomplish. The troubles you may be facing at the moment are just one small part of what He wants to accomplish in your life. Trust in his power and wisdom to carry you through. Much of what seems difficult and weighty at the moment will one day seem small and insignificant as you look back and come to an understanding of His purposes.

3. Let The Eternal Have Power Over The Temporary. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Whatever we long for and expect in the future inevitably determines how we live in the present. Many times in Scripture we are reminded to “fix our eyes on Jesus.” Why? Because we are greatly influenced by the things on which we focus. Too many times the major influences in our life are things that will not last. Paul reminds us that our center of attention needs to be on eternal things. As we focus on the eternal, even on a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, we will still find an abiding joy because we know that one day we will receive the reward of our faith – the salvation of our souls.

No matter the circumstances you are facing today – or what you’ll face tomorrow – and the day after that - your Heavenly Father has the grace, wisdom and power to sustain you and guide you through it. Trust in His love for you and your day will brighten up immediately.

Hoping you have an OUTSTANDING day,

PT