These are the days that must happen to us. - Walt Whitman

Do you ever have those days?

Days that construction during your drive has gotten out of hand and made you late for work two days in a row. Days where you try to work, but by the end of the day nothing seems to be done. Days where you tend your garden for fifteen minutes and walk away with bug bites. Days where you lock yourself out of the house while trying to run to a church meeting. And then the hour meeting turns into two and a half hours when you haven't had dinner. Days where you drive to your husband's work for his keys and he asks you to bring home his guitar that almost takes your toe off when coming up the steps. Days when as soon as you sit down and want to cry, your phone rings. It is your husband and he needs the keys back to close the store. So you drive all the way back to give them to him. Seems a bit much for a Thursday, but it happened.

These are the kinds of days where I am pleading to God for a bit of relief. It feels as though nothing is "going my way." It is easy to become self-focused and have self-pity. It is easy to question God and why He didn't give me a head's up on what was coming around the bend. These are the times when I am most humbled.

My very dear friend had a terrible loss today. I won't even begin to try to understand her pain or her grief. Her horrible day filled with tragedy and suffering puts my irritants of today to shame. While I complain to God about my morning drive, her world is being turned upside down. While I'm concentrated on the disappointing movie we watched last night, her dreams are unraveling. While I am focused on myself - - she is struggling with one of the most painful things on earth.

Perspective is a very humbling thing.

And it turns out God knew what He was doing. My scattered workday allowed for time to sit in my car and pray for a miracle. The extra driving time added to my night gave me more time to cry out to God and cry for her broken heart. God knew I needed a day with fewer distractions so I could focus on something other than myself and my to-do list.

All of my plans for this evening have been changed. God has given me a night to put my face to the floor in prayer. He has given me the most precious opportunity to lift up a sister and her broken heart. I am grateful that He would use me. Selfish and broken me.