Coming Face to Face with Today

What kind of day has it been for you? Has it been the best day, the worst day, or somewhere in between? Or has it been all of the above? Pastor Lori delivered a message one year at Radiant Conference with a key thought that resonated deeply with me: Sometimes the best day and the worst day are the same day. 
 
I love to do puzzles. I mean an old-fashioned jigsaw puzzle that makes a dusty mess when you dump the pieces on the kitchen table. I love  to sort out the edges, set every piece in place, and create a clear picture from former chaos.

I like it when life works out that way too! I like to have everything on the table, complete openness, clear answers, and loose ends resolved, but it doesn’t always work out that way...sometimes pieces are missing.  In life, that can look like a relationship that ended abruptly when we thought it would last a lifetime.

Or maybe it was a dream job opportunity that turned into a nightmare. Sometimes the story doesn’t make sense!
 
What do you do when you realize there are missing pieces in your story?

You can waste a lot of time rehashing the past, living in yesterday, or worrying about tomorrow and what the future might bring. These thought trails usually lead nowhere productive, and distract you from the one thing you can impact: what you do with today.

Go to God when you don’t have the answers. Seek the Lord in prayer, ask for revelation and insight, and read God’s word with eyes and ears open for answers. Surround yourself with mature advisors and seek wise counsel from friends you trust. 
 
In challenging times I remind myself of the following scriptures: 

• God’s thoughts and ways are higher than my thoughts and ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).

• Consider the work of God, for who is able to straighten what He has bent? (Ecclesiastes 7:13)

• Shall we accept good from God and not accept adversity? (Job 2:10)

• My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him (Psalm 62:5). 

You have the opportunity to decide how you will remember today. And when there are messy unanswered questions and holes in the puzzle, it could be that today is both the best day AND the worst day on the same day. 
 
Whatever it looks like, with God you can choose to ultimately tell a story of faith and to make the best of today! 

~ Stephanie Hodges