Stupid Day

“Never again will you be called
the Godforsaken City or the Desolate Land.
Your new name will be the City of God’s Delight and the Bride of God,
for the LORD delights in you and will claim you as his own.”
Isaiah 62:4 NLT
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When I was in high school, my Mom and I used to have a top secret code name for the days when, no matter what or how hard you tried, nothing went as it should have. (We called them Stupid Days.) Most times, as soon as you can identify that a day is a “Stupid Day” you come up with a master plan to get home and camouflage yourself in pajamas as soon as possible so that the day won’t continue to hunt you.

Top qualifiers of a Stupid Day include (but are not limited to):

Five minute long stoplights everywhere you go
Basically anything from Alanis Morissette’s Ironic song
A over-prepared project was STILL not enough
Not being able to get your point across no matter what
Worrying (almost obsessively) about how much you wish you would have taken the extra 20 seconds to put on deodorant… and wondering how many others notice…

Even though these things are silly and insignificant on an individual basis, when they all converge, it leaves you wanting to wander around muttering like Milton from Office Space. And it isn’t just my physical, mental, or emotional reserves that take the hit – I struggle spiritually. I start to question everything: the impact I’m having on my husband, kids, friends and family. I start to doubt that even God is powerful enough to get ME out of the way of His plan for ME.

At this moment, I usually begrudgingly flop open my Bible and – somewhat reluctantly – start reading the chapter for that day. I tell myself that there IS something in there that God wants to tell me. I don’t stop reading until I find it. Some days, one chapter is enough. Other days, it takes many, many, MANY chapters until my cold, frustrated heart softens. But EVERY time, God finds some unique, miraculous way to use those words to remind me that I am more than the product of a Stupid Day. The words of frustration and anger that I have been using to chastise myself in my pajamas on my couch start to melt away and they are replaced with this:

“Never again still you be called the Godforsaken City or the Desolate Land. Your new name will be the City of God’s Delight and the Bride of God, for the LORD delights in you and will claim you as his own.” (Isaiah 62:4 NLT)

Yep. Not today, Stupid Day. I am God’s Delight and HE has claimed me as his own. Today, my failures will not own me. Today, my frustrations will not claim my mind. Today, I will not let my insecurities define me. I am no longer Godforsaken or Desolate.

I can end my day in peace because it is no longer a Stupid Day; As Bride of God, I can instead have a Saved Day.

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Dear Lord, you know how many days I fight battles that I don’t need to fight. I wrestle to prove things that you already know. Despite the fact that I twist myself into a pretzel of performance and feel emptier every second. But hearing your words and realizing that you – Master and Creator of the Universe – claims me and delights in me, lets me drop the gloves. I will stop throwing punches. I will stop resigning to fail. I will surrender to your unconditional love every day. Amen.