2:14 – My Day Sucks More Than Yours

#faithbites #faithjourney sucks

Today was not a good day. The kids were grumping, my knee was hurting, I had to shovel more snow, the campus was icy, the elevators in my building weren’t working, my network on my computer wasn’t working, people were grumpy to me. It was a pretty sucky day.

Then I had someone say my concerns were little compared to their sucky day. After lots of discussion and hearing about how other people had bad Mondays, it easily dawned on me. There is no limit to how many people can have a crummy day. It’s not a competition of my day is worse than your day.

If we changed the conversation to: You know what, that does suck and I’m sorry you are going for that. I’m having a bad day too. Here’s what’s going on with me. Imagine how that would reshape our conversations. We are all in the “big bag of suck” together.

Now, why am I bringing up crummy days? To me, trying to compare my crummy day to yours is like trying to say someone’s sins are worse than yours. Guess what? We all sin and all our sins are equally bad in the eyes of God. But we aren’t without hope.

Scripture

• For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. – James 2:10-11
• For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God – Romans 3:23
• For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:23
• If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:9

Reflection

We all sin. Most of us sin on a daily basis. It is part of our nature. The first three verses all say that we have all sinned, we fall short of the Glory of God and his law. The last two show that even though we sin, if we confess them to God, we are forgiven.

Now, don’t get me wrong. There is Man’s law and God’s law. Man’s law has different punishments for different law breaking – some is sinful some is not. Some things aren’t laws are sinful and not. This is living in the world of mankind. God’s law is impossible to hold up. That is why Jesus came to fulfill the old testament and give us two new laws. Even with those two laws, we still fail. But through Christ and forgiveness we are new creatures and saved.

So, you may have a pretty crummy day. Your day may even feel much worse than someone else’s day. But guess what, everyone can have a bad day, it’s not a competition. At the same time, while we are sinning and having bad days, we have Jesus to rescue us.

Charge

Think about the bad day or good day you have. If someone has a bad day and you have a bad day, remember you both can have a bad day together. Try to say “I’m sorry your day sucks. Mine has been bad as well. Is there anything I can do to help?”. Then rather than tearing down, try to support them and build them up.

Prayer

Dear God, be with us all when we have our bad days. Help us to remember that while our day on earth may be pretty crummy, we will have every lasting life in you. Remind us that others are having bad days as well and we can empathize with them and share in it. That we are stronger together and in your love. In Jesus’s name, Amen.