The Gift of a New Day

Not too long ago, I had the Monday of all Mondays. It was just one of those days that I wanted to be over. I was ready for a new day!

It started when I was across town and received a text from my husband, who was taking my boys to a class. He texted that there was no one there, and they had knocked and rung the doorbell a couple of times. I checked my calendar quickly and then the document with the dates the classes were going to be held, and sure enough, I had entered the date on our calendar incorrectly. There was no class that day.

Later that afternoon, as I was heading home, I stopped at Kroger to pick up the groceries I had ordered online earlier that day. I pulled into parking space number 3 and texted my arrival. I had my two daughters in the car, and we waited for the groceries to come out. As I saw the Kroger employee walk out with a cart of groceries, I popped my trunk; however, the employee went to another vehicle—one that had arrived after me.

I was a bit frustrated but continued to wait. Then my phone rang. It was a local number, but I didn’t recognize it, so I didn’t answer. They left a message, and as I went to check it, a light bulb went off in my head. The message confirmed what I suspected. I was sitting in the parking lot of the wrong Kroger. Now, for clarification, I shop at two different Krogers on the same road, literally one mile from each other. I generally shop at the one I was sitting at; however, I remembered that the last time I had ordered groceries, my main store didn’t have a time slot available, so ordered from the other store. I never double-checked which Kroger I was ordering from that morning, and sure enough, it left me sitting at the wrong Kroger.

On Monday evenings I record a podcast, with a few other homeschool moms. My recording setup is in the basement next to our furnace, so before I head downstairs to record, I turn off the heat. It is only for an hour or so, and I turn the heat back on when I come up. That Monday, I forgot to turn it back on.

It was a Monday all right, and I was ready for a new day!

Tuesday morning, I work up to a cooler-than-normal house, and as I walked down the hall and looked at the temperature, I realized what was going on. I turned the heat up, made my coffee, and sat down to have my quiet time with God.

I prayed and asked God to not let the discouragement of all the things that had gone wrong on Monday keep me from experiencing all he had for me on Tuesday. Sometimes we allow a bad day to make us think we have a bad life, but friends, that is simply not true.

The Gift of a New Day

In Lamentations 3:22- 23, we read, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (ESV).

Every day is a new gift from God. The hurts, disappointments, frustrations, and mistakes can be laid at the feet of Jesus, and he will never run out of his mercy for us. He is faithful, and every day is a new day from him. God delights in new beginnings!

In the Book of Corinthians, chapter 4, we read, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (vv. 16-18 ESV)

That Monday was the pits, but l was able to laugh off every little mistake. I apologized to my husband for my error that made him have to leave work. The Kroger clerk (at the second Kroger) and I had a good laugh as she loaded my groceries. Apparently, I’m not the only one who has confused the two Krogers. And that chilly Tuesday morning led to more blankets and more cuddles with my kids.

Truth be told, though, I’m not sure I would have been able to so easily let those things not ruin my day even a couple of years ago. We are being renewed day by day. The things we are encountering today are shaping us and growing us not only for tomorrow but for eternity. I’m so thankful I can look back and know I am not who I used to be.

Friends, we are in a continual process of being renewed and refined. Today’s troubles are growing us for tomorrow’s triumphs.

Don’t let a mistake-filled Monday keep you from having a thriving Tuesday.

Heather Gerwing is living the full life with her husband, Jeff, four kids, and a dog in Metro Detroit. Heather enjoys reading, writing, coffee-ing, and serving in youth ministry. She was born a Jersey girl and feels most at home on a beach. She is the host of the monthly link-up, Share Four Somethings. You can join Heather on the journey to living the full life at www.heathergerwing.com.

Photograph © Eric Rothermel, used with permission