Doug Creamer: A boring day

Published 12:00 am Saturday, September 23, 2023

By Doug Creamer

Have you ever longed for a boring day? You know what I mean; a normal, run-of-the-mill day. I am thinking of the kind of day when everything goes boringly smoothly. You accomplish much because everything you work on goes exactly right. All of your customers, co-workers and supervisors are in pleasant moods and things just flow. At home, the kids are all well-behaved, nothing is broken and the tasks that must be completed are done with ease.

I am thinking about the kind of day that from the moment your feet touch the floor in the morning until you lay your head on the pillow at night, not one thing goes wrong. There is no crisis. I love those days when the honey-do list might seem long in the morning but by the evening all the items have been checked off. You got a lot done!

I am old enough to know that life is full of many ups and downs. There are going to be problems that we must face and handle. While I love life and tend to see the good in most situations, I know that the storybook ending of, “they lived happily ever after” is reserved only for books. That’s OK with me and it’s not what I am talking about here.

We all get the kind of day that I am describing. The problems you do encounter are met with simple solutions. Negative encounters with individuals are met with easy resolutions. You find yourself humming a song as you work. Any minor irritation is easily brushed away. The day flows like a lazy river carrying you sweetly along.

I think we don’t appreciate those days until…we encounter those days when everything seems to go wrong. Sometimes those days all gather into weeks. You keep trying to turn the day or days around, but the harder you try the more it feels like you are just spinning your wheels. You try to maintain your positive attitude. You remind yourself that you are an overcomer but you feel like you have been overcome.

That’s when we find ourselves longing for a boring day. We wish and pray for them. We want one of those days where everything just goes our way. But the problems pile up at work and when we get home to what we hope is our refuge…things are falling apart there, too. Sometimes in those moments when it seems like everything is going crazy around us, we might begin to wonder, where is God? Did He forget about us? Is He too busy caring of a major crisis in the world to notice that things have gone a little crazy in our lives?

I don’t believe that He has left us. He hasn’t deserted us. I think it is like when Jesus was with the disciples in the middle of the storm. Do you remember that story? The disciples had just witnessed some miracles and heard Jesus’ teaching. He told them that they were going to go to the other side of the lake. He promptly falls asleep and then they encounter the storm. These were seasoned fishermen who had experienced plenty of storms. Somehow this particular storm seemed overwhelming.

Where was Jesus when they were struggling in the storm? He was right there with them! Nothing was going to overwhelm them. They were not going to drown. They were going to make it to the other side because He was with them. He wanted to see their faith and trust in Him grow stronger. The trouble was they put their focus on the storm and not on Jesus who was with them.

When you find yourself wishing for a boring day because life has gone crazy, stop and look around, because I am convinced that Jesus is right there with you. He hasn’t overlooked you or missed one thing about your crazy day. He wants to help you solve those problems and be the overcomer He created you to be. He wants you to remember that there is nothing too difficult for God your Heavenly Father.

I want to encourage you to hang in there if you are going through a difficult patch. God is with you. It’s OK to lean on Him. It’s OK to cry out to Him like the disciples did in the boat that day. He will get up and either quiet the storm or He may quiet you as you walk through the storm. He is the God of all comfort. Run to Him! The storm will pass soon. I hope and wish for you a boring day really soon!

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041 or doug@dougcreamer.com.