-Romans 8:28
It was one of "those" days. Maybe you know the type? Frustrating. Exhausting. Topped off with a side-order of guilt. And it was looking more and more irredeemable by the minute.
A lack of preparation the day before led to some less-than-healthy, last-minute choices for breakfast. Warm cinnamon and ooey-gooey icing tempted and tantalized, shoving any thoughts of healthy eating right out of my mind. So much for starting the day off on the right foot...
The giant cinnamon roll, now swelling in my over-full stomach, acted as a foot in the door for a heaping helping of guilt. One bad choice colored my self perception for the rest of the morning: I saw my lack of discipline, slapped the label of "failure" across my chest, and it stuck.
A dirty house that I can't get around to cleaning? Failure. Too much time on Facebook or in front of the TV? Failure. Children fighting me tooth-and-nail on every simple request I make? Failure! The lens of guilt distorted my vision until no matter what I did, I just couldn't quite measure up.
Then, like the proverbial icing on the cinnamon roll, even my thoughts began to betray me. "Why can't I get it together? I just don't know what I'm doing as a mother. Surely everyone else is much better at this than me..." I began to believe the lies running through my head, and wondered how in the world any good could come out of this bad day...
There's a story in the Bible about an Israelite woman named Naomi, who was arguably having a bad decade. After moving into enemy territory her husband passed away, leaving her a widow. Naomi's sons eventually took wives and settled down, but both also died ten years later. All in the midst of a nation-wide famine. Talk about your bad days!
Naomi heard of the Lord's provision in her homeland, Judah, and decided to seek refuge there. Her daughter-in-law, Ruth, was determined to go with her. She even went so far as to convert from the worship of her gods, saying, "Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. (Ruth 1:16)"
The situation seemed grim: two widows—one embittered by grief, one a despised foreigner, both poor—living without the security of husbands in a male-dominated society fallen on chaotic and tumultuous times. The opportunity for any good to come out of their story seemed to be shrinking by the day. The chance for redemption, slim to none.
Maybe you can relate? Maybe you're staring down the barrel of change—hard, risky, life-altering change. Or maybe you've been bombarded with one hardship, one loss, one grief after another.
Maybe you've come to realize the devastating consequences of past sins on your present life, and you're doubtful that you'll ever get out from under the effects of them. You're probably asking yourself if God could ever turn things around.
Naomi and Ruth's story offers us hope. While gleaning in the fields after the harvesters, Ruth caught the eye of a man named Boaz—a good, generous man who just happened to be one of Naomi's close relatives and kinsman-redeemers.
The story ends with Ruth's marriage to Boaz and the revival of Naomi's family name through the birth of their son, Obed. Interestingly enough, this tale of redemption actually paves the way for the lineage of David and the birth of the Ultimate Redeemer: Jesus!
God turned this story around—using even the bad days for good—and brought redemption through the most unlikely of circumstances.
My own "bad day redemption" came with an unexpected visit from my sister. As I poured out my heart to her, an amazing thing happened: we realized we were struggling with the same insecurities, fighting the same battle!
With heads bowed and arms around each other's shoulders, we whispered tearful prayers. As we shared our sorrows and struggles, we were strengthened. Encouraged. God used our bad days for good.
So whatever you're facing today, ask Jesus for renewed faith and trust in him and his sovereignty. Write Romans 8:28 on a notecard and carry it with you or stick it on the refrigerator, so that when the day seems to be going from bad to worse, you can read it and be encouraged. And above all, hold onto hope—the hope of Christ our Redeemer!
Reflection Questions
- Hebrews 6:19 speaks of the hope God offers to those who follow him as "an anchor for the soul..." How do we anchor our souls in God's hope each day?
- How might your day look differently if you were anchored securely in the hope of Jesus?
- What does redemption look like for you personally?