Whenever asked, “How are you?” we have typical answers.
“Good.”
My answers too are pretty limited. But what qualifies “good” in my mind? What makes for a good day or a good week?
I think, unfortunately, it mostly has to do with how I’m feeling, life going my way, my plans getting accomplished, or things panning out in my favor.
Do you realize how self-centered our views of a good day often are?
Often my interpretation of “good day” needs to be redefined. You see, we don’t have to have joyful, happy things happen every day in order for it to qualify as a good day.
- We can rejoice that God’s mercies are new to us each morning (Lam. 3:22).
- In the middle of uncertainty, we can thank God for His loving care that we often don’t even recognize (Matt. 6:30).
- In the midst of physical pain, we can remember that Christ suffered for us and our suffering is temporary (2 Cor. 4:16-17).
- When facing hurt and rejection, we can cling to Jesus, who was rejected for our sake and who loves us unconditionally (Is. 53:3-4).
- When feeling lonely, we can remember the Father’s great love for us and how He never leaves or forsakes us (Heb. 13:5).
- When we fail or sin, we can rejoice in God’s forgiveness and cleansing that comes when we go to him and confess our sin (1 Jn. 1:9).
Those truths don’t negate that days (or weeks, or months!) can be very difficult. But in the midst of hard times, we need to continually look up to the eternal realities that are unchanging (2 Cor. 4:18). We can be honest about the challenges we’re facing and yet still hope in God (Psalm 13).
Looking up to God can radically change our perspective. And it’s not because things suddenly got better circumstantially, but because we are reshaping our view of good with an eternal lens. “Good” isn’t about us any more, it’s about learning to love and worship God more deeply no matter what is thrown at us in a given week.
I want to work to answer more honestly, but hopefully, so when things aren’t going so well I can still answer, “Today has been hard, but God has been faithful to me in this way…”
