It’s been one of those days: the kind after a long night of cleaning up your dog’s vomit every 2 hours when you have no idea why she’s getting sick. 

The kind of morning when you try to lay back down for just a little while longer after your husband goes to work ridiculously early yet again (only to stay late once more) and you can’t sleep because you hear the dog making that same horrid gagging sound and you wait for the inevitable so you can climb out of bed and try to clean the stains that you already know won’t go away even with that special miracle working cleaner you’ve tried on the other stains that already added their own little flair to the carpet that was new when you moved in less than a year ago.

It’s the kind of day when the baby starts crying while you’re [not] getting the floor cleaned up and just as you finish feeding her, she decides to leak through her pajamas onto your lap and you have another stain to try and get out. 

And it’s the kind of day that just after you’ve gotten the stinky leaky baby all cleaned up in the bath tub, soft and snuggly and smelling like baby lotion with the top of her head in a mess of crazy curls, she spits up all over her clean clothes.

Ever had one of those days?

It doesn’t help when it follows so closely on the heels of a trip to urgent care over the weekend to see what could possibly be wrong with your sweet, happy little daughter to make her fuss most of the day and spend an hour in the evening screaming inconsolably like someone was beating her. This from the one who almost never cries unless her little tummy is empty or she’s oh so sleepy.

We didn’t solve that mystery. But at least it stopped.  And I didn’t take the dog to the vet as I considered doing…but so far so good. I think maybe I should take both instances as simply answered prayer and not worry anymore.

This hasn't been the best day I've ever had. But really in my heart of hearts, this little sinner’s heart that God continues to deal with so patiently, I know it doesn’t take “one of those days”-or weekends, or weeks, or months-to stir up the ugly side of me. My kindness, gentleness, patience and forbearance… they haven’t been around all that much in general lately. That’s what hits me, and humbles me: it’s not my kindness, my patience. It’s the short temper, the annoyance and frustration and harshness that come naturally to me. All that good stuff I like to think is just nice-girl me is really Him. All Him. And oh how desperately I need Him.

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”