How to Glean the Gift of a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
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Today, at Proverbs 31, I’m talking about a silly little dinner game we used to play, a big serious question God once whispered to my heart, and a simple gospel truth that could change your life forever. (It’s certainly changed mine!)
If you haven’t read “Whose Girl are You?” you can check it out here.
But before you go, I’d love to tell you why I think your next terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day might be a blessing in disguise! Just keep reading…
She was curled up in her bottom bunk, random pieces of her tangled blonde hair sticking out from under her fuzzy purple blanket.
I stood silent in the doorway, trying to decide if I should enter her room or not.
She’d been a mess since sunrise, this strong-willed daughter of mine.
Crotchety and bossy.
Melancholy and foul.
She’d bit her brother, screamed at her sister, and poked the dog.
She’d dismantled the bookshelf, excavated the houseplant and shredded my patience.
My littlest girl was having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
And her Mommy was, too.
It was only three o’clock in the afternoon, but I wanted to call it a day, to leave my preschooler sulking in the bottom bunk while I ran away or curled up in the comfort of my own bed and pulled the covers over my head, too.
Instead, I took a deep breath and walked quietly to her side.
I placed my hand on her sweaty locks and peeled back the fuzzy purple blanket to reveal her flushed, frowning face.
“What’s wrong today, Maggie?” I asked, trying to dilute the edge in my voice, trying to still the frustration seeping through my bones.
My grumpy girl cast me a steely stare and then disappeared under her blankets again.
I eased my weary frame onto her bed and waited impatiently for an answer.
Maggie’s sparkly pink super-hero cape hung on the bedroom door, a relic from a happier day of play, and I wished that a simple cape could turn me into Super-Mom.
Maybe then I’d know what to do with Disgruntled Diva.
Maybe then I’d know how to turn our terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day around.
Maggie wiggled under the covers, and I felt her slender fingers reaching for mine.
I unclenched my fist and offered my daughter a familiar hand.
A muffled sigh seeped out from beneath those purple blankets and Maggie peeked at me from under her covers.
“I’m lonely for Daddy,” she said, punctuating her sullen words with a hiccup and a moan.
I stared at the little girl who had turned my day upside down, the one who had pushed and screamed, kicked and swatted, and I wanted to lecture rather than love.
I wanted to remind my naughty nipper that there’s no excuse for her churlish charades.
But maybe Super-Mom slipped in when I wasn’t looking and loaned me her cape, because for one rare and beautiful moment, I just held my tongue.
Or maybe, I wasn’t wearing a cape at all.
Maybe I just recognized myself in those misty eyes.
You see, I know what it’s like to have a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
Like my dour damsel, I’ve accessorized the hours with a peevish pout and donned crankiness like it’s going out of style.
I’ve flung fighting words.
And sabotaged joy.
I’ve sulked and harrumphed, cried and complained.
I’ve stumbled empty and wrecked entire days before they’ve even begun.
And it’s on those days when I’m at my worst that I long most for the One who knows me best.
Those are the days when I wish my Daddy could reach through the pages of His Word and wrap me in His mighty arms.
Those are the days when I’m desperate for my brokenness to be swallowed by His beauty; my grumpiness to be covered by His goodness.
When I think about it, it’s the days when nothing feels right and everything goes wrong that I feel lonely for my Abba.
So, as I sat there on that bottom bunk next to my sniffling girl, I ditched the lecture and wrapped my arms around her instead.
And as the gap between us closed, I wondered if my daughter had just unsuspectingly named the gift that grows from the muddle of a messed up day….
It’s the tough days that make us lonely for our Heavenly Father.
It’s the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days that make us desperate for our wonderful, merciful, so good, very great Daddy.
It’s the days when everything seems to be falling apart that we recognize our need for the One who holds all things together.
And maybe, just maybe, that’s the gift in those unraveling days.
Maggie was nestled beneath my arm and I ran my fingers through her tousled hair and spoke quietly in her ear.
“Daddy will be home tonight…But if it would make you feel better, you could call him right now.”
Maggie sat up in bed and flashed me a shadowy smile.
I reached for the phone, dialed my husband’s number, and placed the receiver up to Maggie’s ear.
She waited, her head cocked to the side and her hands trembling slightly.
Finally, the dial tone gave way to the familiar hum of my husband’s gentle voice.
“Hi, Daddy,” my preschooler murmured, her pouty pink lips curling upward in a happy smile.
The voice on the other end of the phone line said something that made her giggle, and Maggie leaned back on her purple pillow, content to listen.
I planted a kiss on the top of Maggie’s tousled hair, then slipped out of her room and headed for the kitchen.
The breakfast dishes were still piled high on the counter and crumbs were scattered willy-nilly across the floor.
But before I picked up the shattered pieces of my day, I simply picked up my Bible and sat down in the middle of the mess.
And with a desperate whisper and a childlike prayer, this lonely mama called out to her Daddy in Heaven.
And stilled my soul to hear His voice.
Because I didn’t want to miss the gift of my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
“You are the One I will call when pushed to the edge,
when my heart is faint. “
(Psalm 61:2, The Voice)
Today, I’m giving away a “Pray Like a Child” package This gift includes a box of 64 crayons (You know, the BIG BOX that used to make your heart race as a kid…. the one with the built-in pencil sharpener and the crayons with names like seafoam green and lemonade yellow!) And a brand new copy of Sybil Mac Beth’s beautiful book, Praying in Color.
Today, I’m giving away a “Pray Like a Child” package This gift includes a box of 64 crayons (You know, the BIG BOX that used to make your heart race as a kid…. the one with the built-in pencil sharpener and the crayons with names like seafoam green and lemonade yellow!) And a brand new copy of Sybil Mac Beth’s beautiful book, This is one of my favorite tools for re-igniting a monotonous prayer life. Learn how to unleash new passion and power in your prayers, how to connect your thoughts with God’s word, and how to doodle your way to the heart of your Heavenly Father. Use it alone, with your kids, or with a friend.
You’ll be entered into the drawing for this fun prize package when you leave a comment answering this question, “If your life were a crayon, what color would it be and why?”
My color these last few weeks would be black.Not because I’m in a dark place but because I have been walking with a sister that has been taking steps to come out of darkness. And in remembering all the other sisters that are trying to escape darkness in their life.
Black…for the past 2-3 weeks on a daily basis, I’ve been watching my brother in law slowly wither away. His desires are diminishing. His happy go lucky attitude turn are now continuous thoughts. He’s dying from CHF and acute renal failure. It’s hard being his caretaker…watching all the changes is heartbreaking, but at the same time, eternally greatful that he’s saved – and will be with our Heavenly Father.
I would be a shade of every color for each part of my body with each color representing GODS LOVE for me to help me get through all the things I need to be closer to our father.
I would be deep pink because God made me a girly-girl, but a strong one!
Alicia, I pray that the blessings that flow from your words on to those who read them return to you a hundred-fold. Tears come to my eyes when I read about how tenderly you love your children, whether you like them at the moment or not, because of how much our Abba loves you! I want to be a mom like you, who tempers my human feelings with God’s wisdom and love, for my 8 year old step son.
Blue. It’s my favourite colour and the variety of shades that it can be describe me beautifully… The enticing turquoise of a tropical sea, to the deep royal blue that is so calming, to the fresh blue after the rains.
I would love this book to bring new colour into my spiritual life.
Just white. For purity. For peace. For total surrender to Jesus.
Purple! Because I am a daughter of the King!
Mine would be pink because I am so girly and don’t “blend in” because I don’t want to !!!
…….get it ?
“If your life were a crayon what color would it be and why?”…….I think yellow. The bright sunflower one. I am not sure if there is a sunflower yellow- but I am that one. My life has been filled with the brightness and beauty only my Heavenly Father could show me. He continues to color my life bright yellow with his eternal promise of goodness. I am sunflower yellow because He has given me His perfect love through my family, my precious children and another day to stop and give thanks for all He has rescued me out of and continues to on a daily basis….
My would be between green and yellow. Green because of the green grass and trees that God created for us to have beauty on earth, The yellow is for the beautiful sun shine that helps plants to grow and people to enjoy the beauty of God smiling on us.
My color would probably change depending on the day and what I’m experiencing. Blue reminds me of the sky as well as the lake where I feel completely peaceful and close to God. Sometimes my blue might have hints of gray, like when my tween is especially moody and it’s seeping onto everyone’s day. Other times, my blue might be “blue-violet” when I’m happy and my circumstances are positive. Even in the dead of winter, I always try to look for a hole in the gray clouds to see if I can find a small hint of blue to remind me that spring is coming. Sometimes it’s there, sometimes not. Thanks for the opportunity to enter. Never has a blog giveaway looked SO enticing. I have loved crayons since I was small! Seriously, I could sniff them all day!!
I’d be purple because without Gods love I’d be in chains. I am free because if Him
If there was a crayon with more than one color I would be that crayon. I was reminded of God’s presence in creation this morning when I looked up and saw this most amazing rainbow then a school of white doves flew past. It was God assuring me of His presence today….totally blown away. I had to share that piece. I will go with blue, it gives me a calm and peace.
Thank you.
Love Daphne
Green I choose gree.. I think God loves green if you noticed the majority of nature is green ,grass, leaves, Trees , plants without the color green it just wouldn’t be gorgeous green speaks life peace joy contentment relaxation fun Our God is a God of Imagination that is sooo cool even our foods are green too like Avocados. Lattice spinach cucumbers OMG!! There’s no end to green God Bless enjoy reading your post.
My color would be silver. The color of a sword–the sword of the spirit.
Green–reminds me of God’s new life when I see green leaves growing on trees in spring and grass turning green!
I love this!! My husband just left today for a 3 day fishing trip, so one of my little people may be experiencing what your daughter did soon!! Thanks for heads-up!! And I love the perspective you share…our tough days remind us we need Him!! As far as color…I’d say white because He has washed me white as snow!! And thanks for sharing that book…my 10 year old daughter would LOVE it!!
Gold for victory in Jesus!
Oh so good, Alicia! Thank you for reminding us to keep going back to our Father! My kids always ask me what my favorite color is for some reason or another…and I always say ALL OF THEM! I would choose the rainbow, for the promise it holds! That God loves us each and every day, even in our darkest. We can always come to Him!
I would be: blue=sad, red=angry, & black=hurt. Thankful that in, God I’m white=forgiven & He loves me….ME!!
I would be blue. Blue like the sky or like the deep blue ocean. Some days I might be dark blue like in a bad thunderstorm because the depression from losing my only two children 9 days apart 5 years ago in two separate accidents takes a toll on me on many days. May is the month they became Angels so it is a hard month but I know the Lord is with me and I will make it through.
White to remind me that everything is washed white as snow.
My current color is GREEN because my life is at the doorstep of new possibilities and hopes!
I would like to get this for my friend chris, he is hurting sooooo bad right now. His wife of 15 years cheated on him 3 times and so he finally had to call it quits. His wife turned on him and found a great lawyer and man-disliking judge and with other circumstances that happen when you are only human… he lost his house, his job and 70% of his kid’s visitation lives. He is trying so hard to not lose God and we are trying so hard to help him, but he can’t help but feel like God has not been there through all this. Please, please, please let me send this to my friend, or maybe we can even do this as families together in our small group that he is part of ?! thanks for thinking of Chris and praying for him and his family if nothing else :). Kathy
oops I forgot to say my color is periwinkle as the color of all the flax seed flowers in my garden…a wonderfully good smelling and beautiful day and I try to share that day with all who I am around…Kathy again
Today was a near perfect day, so today my colour is green, the colour of grass and lots of things that grow. 🙂
i would love to be green.the color of growth.also if i could i would love to burst out in fruit or flowers or something beautiful to share with others(those can be all kinds of beautiful colors).God makes all things beautiful!the master artist!
Blue…because it’s the color of the sky, which reminds me of God’s faithfulness!
If I had to choose just one color I would choose Red, the color of love…because as a mother and a wife and a Daughter of the Most High I am surrounded by LOVE even on my terrible, horrible no good, very bad days.
My color is brown. Because of my depression I have days that are dark blue or gray. Sometimes though I can hear God and see Him working in my life and then I see the yellow sunshine, the pink of hope and the red of Christ’s blood shed for me. Mix them all together and what a mess……
Mine would be blue, that’s my favorite color, but so much of the time especially by evening that describes my whole countenence. I have chronic pain from a really bad head-on car accident 10 yrs ago, it really gets to me by evening. Sometimes nothing can console me, as I try to go to sleep & cry out to God ‘I can’t take this any longer, please either heal me or take me home now!’
My life would be a ‘rainbow’ color ~ with specks of all the amazing colors God has given to us! Like life, with this crayon, you never know what comes next…Red ~ for I am covered with His Precious blood! Purple ~ for I am a daughter of the King! Blue ~ for the skies where all the beautiful birds fly and sing; and for the oceans blue, teeming with all kinds of sea life! Green ~ have you ever taken a ride or walk and noticed how many shades of green are in God’s landscaping palette? Thousands, all signs of new life and growth! Yellow ~ for the Sunshine/Sonshine I am daily bathed with ~ even when it’s not shining! White ~ as the snow and the condition of how Christ washed my soul! Silver & Gold ~ for I am precious in His sight!
My color would be red, because Jesus bled, endured, and ultimately triumphed over not just His own unimaginable suffering; but also over every bad day that I go through. This should remind me to cast my cares on Him, who is able to bear my pain, frustration, and fears; just as a parent cuddles a child, and makes everything better.
I would be blue. I don”t have any beautiful words to describe my crayon, as the others have. I am blue because my husband and daughter are on vacation at the Outer Banks with my husband’s family who “uninvited” me to their vacation. I am so sad about it. I am simply and humbly, very blue.
I’d be a coral hued pink color 🙂 I think it’s a very universally flattering color on many women and reminds me that god sees us all and created us to be beautiful in our own unique ways.
Thank you for this message of hope which I sooo needed today. I’ve been doubting my privilege of being able to wear the badge of motherhood and feeling so discouraged by all the ways I think I’m failing my very wild at heart 17 month old precious boy! He exposes my vulnerabilities and love in such amazing ways 🙂
I LIKE THE COLOR YELLOW IT REPRESENTS THE LIGHT THAT I HAVE IN ME AND THAT LIGHT SHINES BRIGHTLY IN MY LIFE FOR MY HEAVENLY FATHER AND EVERYONE THAT COMES INTO MY LIFE IN SEASON AND OUT OF SEASON. GOD BLESS YOU AND THANK U , BE BLESSED.
Today, my color is purple mountain majesty, because I am a child of the Creator of all, and I am the King’s child. Plus, I love purple!!
I love this post, thank you! I would be yellowish orange like the sun b/c my hearts desire is to shine Jesus!
Purple because I am a daughter of the king
I enjoyed your article! My color would be green, as it represents growth. At almost 58 years of age (this month!), I still ask God to “grow me up in You”. Thanks for a chance to win this beautiful treat!
I’ve been eyeing this book! And I love to color!
Ok, I would choose yellow. Sometimes it is pale and sick … needing restoration. Sometimes it is warm and golden … glowing with love and reflecting the goodness I have been given.
Thank you for the article! I so have needed to hear that; “Who’s child are you?” I’ve been searching for years and a just now finding out! As I begin my growth in faith and in God, my color would be Black as it can be mysterious, providing a sense of potential and possibility!
I would be burnt orange, reminding me to be a light to the world but also reminding me of the coziness of just resting in God’s presence.
I think it would be red because of His blood that cleansed my soul I can share that with others.
Today, my color would be blue. I am sad because I have been out of work for a while and need a job. I know God will provide.
Mine would be gold because it reminds me of the refining process He is doing in me, the fact that I’m valuable to Him, and because I like to find the sparkle (the good) in others.
My color is white because when I am tired and weary, I look to God and feel his white light envelop me and know he is with me always.
I need this tool to help reignite my prayer life. Right now my color is yellow to represent “caution” in how I proceed in my day to day walk with my Lord and Savior with people in my life.
Thank you for blessing me Father!
Karen – cent. OR
The color for my life would be black. Not because of the absence of light but because it has been a mixture of red, blue and yellow.
Red being Jesus’s blood and sacrifice that has allowed me my times of yellow joy. But also my days of blue sadness. I couldn’t have one without the other.
They don’t exist independently. All three colors depend on the other. Without sadness I wouldn’t know joy. Without joy I wouldn’t know sadness. And without Jesus I wouldn’t know either.
While some may view that as a dark choice I believe the color black is just 1 of many endless colors God has gifted us. And that represents my life.
I would be orange! Because it reminds me of the sun and seeing the sun reminds me that God has given me another day!
Today, my color would be grey, because I’m very tired from having a sick child this weekend and not much sleep. It also might be brown, because of all the coffee I’ll need to drink today to stay awake. Tomorrow, I hope my color will be bright orange, full of vibrancy and energy!
Green for fresh starts and new mercies every morning.
:My color would be red. I have always loved red and red is the color of the blood that has washed me clean…
Red…bright and beautiful like He sees me.
mycolorwoulds life.beYELLOWfortherayofsunshinewearegivenbyhiswordtoguideusthroughthi
Green. It can be good and bad. Dreary and bright. I was just talking about fresh boxes of cray poo ns with a friend! Funny. Its also my favorite color.
My life would be yellow. Maybe not bright yellow because it hasn’t been crazy and unexpected. It would be pale yellow, subdued, but happy.
My life would be purple for royalty because I am a daughter of the King of Kings!
I’m not sure what color, I would pick. I lean towards blue and green a lot of the time. But purple is becoming a favorite and that represents royalty, and I am his princess.
I choose brown as I think of the cross where Jesus died for me!
Purple…because I’m a child of the One True King!!
Thank you for this beautiful message, Alicia. It’s a great reminder to alter my perspective when I’m dealing with challenging days and circumstances in life.
Blue , just blue as in true blue , Jesus love for us is true
Today I would be green. As I look out my window the world is bursting with the color green. Thank you, Father, for all the life-giving rain you have sent. My world looks anew with you in it.
I would be purple because it’s a mixture of red and blue. Reminding me to stay in the middle, never red with uncontrolled anger or emotions, or blue with sadness or melancholy.
Thanks for a great post! I am going to put that note on my mirror to remind me whose child I am!
My color would be green b/c I want to continue growing in Christ each day. As the children’s song says, “He’s still working on me,” but your devotional was a great reminder that He loves me right where I am!
I would be bright red to remind me God always sees me and we have a passion for each other!!!
I would be green … it speaks of hope, new life, and grace. At the end of each day I am so grateful for grace!
I would choose pink. It’s a soft color that makes me think of curling up in my father’s arms and feeling his strength.
My life would be golden yellow. Even though I have dark, muddy days. God fills them with his glory and majesty. I face troubles but he has my back!
My all time favorite color is midnight blue from that big 64 count box of crayons. However, I don’t think that’s the color of me…wait, maybe it is. To me, midnight blue is very calming, and I like things to be calm, quiet, peaceful, restfull, so perhaps I am Midnight Blue because those words describe how I feel in God’s prescience. Thanks!
Green…because it represents new life. Finding yourself in our savior daily brings new life. Thanks for your encouraging words. They are so encouraging you speak to just where I am in life.
Pea Green out of a Crayola box, because I love the brightness of the color…the life, but also it is a calming color. It reminds me of my favorite times with God sitting outside in the woods journaling.
That was a beautiful story. If my life was a crayon it would be the colors of a butterfly whose beauty and elegance reminds me of the perfect summer day and God’s perfect love for us.
The first color that comes to mind is every color! Like some of the ones my son has made with his Crayola crayon maker. Not just one color but many colors! Thank you for your encouraging message!
I feel that 1 color is not enough to describe ME this journey with Our Father, God made all the colors in Nature surrounding us daily. If we can stop, look, and visualize this true Gift he has given to all if us. Then we can say we ARE NEVER ALONE. JUST LOOK TO NATURE AND ALL THE MAGNIFICENT COLORS HE HAS CREATED for us and then be AT PEACE w his AWESOME CRAYON BOX OF LOVE & HOPE.
I want to stop and ask all those readers out there today..TO TRULY PRAY 4 those victimized by the NEPAL EARTHQUAKE. AMEN
My color would be green. Just as the green eggs in the birds’ nest outside my dining room window are covered by the mother bird, my Father hovers over me. He nurtures protects, leads, guides, and counsels me as I grow and develop to full maturity. As a result, my wings become strong enough to leave the nest and disciple others. I am His girl!
Thank you for this great reminder that ties into your Proverbs 31 post “Whose girl are you?” I have been hearing this message all weekend knowing it is my Father in heaven inviting me to curl up in his arms today. My color would be pink to remind me I am His baby girl!
I would be blue because even on my bluest days I can look to the beautiful blue sky and be reminded that our awesome Creator has got this!
What a wonderful post. It brought tears to my eyes, …to love with so much patience when I would have probably said this is enough stop the way you are acting right now. Knowing, full well, that I myself throw tantrums all the time. I need patience, compassion, and love like Jesus did in my life now and always.
My color would be green – a reminder of life eternal, a love that never ends and growth that my Savior wants me to experience
I would be the color gray as that is sadly where my season of life has me right now BUT it is along with purple as I am a chosen child of God and I will stand on that all the days of Mt life!
I would be red. Red, no scarlet, from the embarrassment and shame I often feel when I do not trust my savior as I should. But at the same time scarlet also because of the blood He shed to take away my shame and guilt. Red is viewed as a power color, and we sing in church “there’s power in the blood!”
I would be turqouise, like the sea in a tropical paradise. It reminds me of God’s living water that runs deep through me.
My color would be red, reminding me that Jesus shed his blood for my sins. Then it would be white to remind me that my sins are forgiven and I am washed white as snow.
I would be pink. As a young girl, pink was my favorite color. Being in my Father’s arms takes me back to that time.
What a great piece. Thank you. My color would be white as the covering Jesus placed over us. A reminder that we are His!
Oh, I long to be gold! Pure, precious gold! Judging God as faithful as all of my impurities are purged in His refiner’s Fire until the Day of Christ!
My color would be yellow like the bright sun which was created by our wonderful God.
My life would be turquoise blue like the carribean sea. Flowing and ebbing through the tides of life… Changing to light and darker turquoise as the seasons of life change.
Purple because the world needs a little something “extra”!
My life would be yellow because the Light of the world is living in me.
I would be green. Like the grass, constantly growing and changing with God’s love.
My color would be purple as a reminder of being His child.
I would be purple, because I am waiting for the day I meet Jesus face to face.
My color would be red to remind me to stop and spend time with my Father.
Can there be a rainbow color? To remind me of God’s promise that He will never leave us? 🙂
I would be Royal Purple, to remind me that I am the daughter of the King of kings, a princess who can walk with my head held high!
I would be Green! because it would remind all of the renewal of God’s love and forgiving love
My life would be “scarlet’ because i’ve been refined through the fire and am now on fire for Jesus!
I would be yellow to remind me of sunshine and how the sun brings smiles and warmth to the world
My life would be blue. Not sad blue, but renewed blue like the morning sky! I am new every morning. Great is HIS faithfulness.