You know, sometimes you don’t see sunshine on a cloudy day, even if the Temptations are singing about it. Sometimes, even when you are really looking for it, and glimpse the tiniest ray beginning to emerge, another big, black cloud snuffs it out. Yesterday was such a day for me.

This was my Facebook post from when I got home from work:

Crummy days serve to make the good days stand out, right? Wonderful! I thought so.

After I posted it, and outside of the comments, I got 3 private messages and a text, all concerned that something was really wrong. I realized that what people see, especially in cyberspace, is a pretty sunshiny, glass-half-full kind of girl, who rarely mentions anything remotely negative. Not that I don’t represent my true self, or try to put up a false façade, making you think my life is something that it isn’t; I don’t. What you see here in this blog, and on the pages of other social media, is really me. I just don’t dwell on the negative stuff (or at least I try not to), and choose not to contribute to the prevalence of it. The funny thing is, that Facebook post was an attempt to put a positive spin on a bad day! Oh well. 🙂

For the record, I do have bad days. Everybody has bad days. That’s the reality of it. We live on a broken planet, with imperfect people, and an enemy who is literally hell-bent to ruin us (and our day, for that matter). We make stupid mistakes or get bad news, sometimes troubling, sometimes devastating. We have one thing fall apart, and just as we start to get that mess cleaned up, another goes to pot. Then the car won’t start, or we get a ticket, and when we get home, the dog has gotten sick no less than 10 times in various locations around the house.

Reality.

When I got home, I changed clothes and headed for my swing. It sits in a place that always catches a breeze, and looks out at the trees and lower pasture. It’s quiet there; calming. I’m grateful for that place where I can remove myself and regroup. I can talk to my Jesus, and just be. It was there when it occurred to me that I had been wrong. No matter what the day has been like, no matter how crummy, there is always Sonshine on a cloudy day if you seek it out. Always.

And that, right there, is reality I can live with.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” James 1:2-7 ESV

“…In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 ESV

“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves.” James 1:2-8 MSG

“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 ESV

“Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 MSG