Bad Day at Work...we all have them no matter what our jobs are or how much we love them.

Before having kids I never thought of parenting as a “job”. 

I was wrong.

Being a parent is a 24/7, never ending, no holiday’s or PTO type job.

And I LOVE it…95% of the time.

The other 5% I want to pull my hair out. I feel overwhelmed, under-qualified, and completely at a loss as to what I should do.

But unlike a real “job”, I can’t quite.

I’m a mom for life!

And I LOVE that.

But as with all jobs, there are “Bad Days”.

Recently I experienced one of those 5% days when I’m stressed to the limit and not enjoying my job. 

I tried praying, but I couldn’t focus.

I felt drained, irritable, and in need of rejuvenation.

At the end of the day I was able to pray and read my Bible.

During that time God reminded me that thoughout my day I had a choice on how I would respond to my problems.

He reminded me that my focus determines my reality and I wasn’t focused on God or loving my boys. I was focused on ME. And my reality sucked because of it. 

God reminded me that SELFISHNESS is what kept me in my bad mood and ruined my day.

I began thinking about the job’s I had before becoming a stay at home mom.

I’d had bad days in those jobs too.

Day’s where I felt undervalued and overworked.

Day’s when I didn’t want to go in.

Day’s when I thought what I was doing was meaningless.

All those day’s had something in common with my current bad day: SELFISHNESS.

How I felt.

What I wanted.

Where I would rather be.

Who I felt was wrong (hint: it was rarely me)

Why I felt something wasn’t fair.

When I wanted a break.

ME. ME. ME.

Me. I am the cause of my bad days staying bad. 

My choices.

My attitude.

What I’m focused on. 

Yes, sometimes bad things happen that really suck and are out of my control.

But I don’t have to let circumstances dictate how my day goes.

Situations should not define my mood. 

Romans 13:9-14 NLT says, “…Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to others… Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.”(emphasis mine)

When I’m busy loving others I don’t have time to focus on my environment or how I feel. 

When my focus is LOVE, my reality changes. My attitude changes. My thoughts change and I don’t have time to be self-centered. (click to tweet)

I have a CHOICE to love others through my words and my actions. 

I have a CHOICE on what I am going to focus on and how my day goes beyond a situation.

Yes, bad days happen…even if we LOVE our jobs.

But we don’t have to be stuck in our bad day.

When we are clothed with Christ (who is love) we don’t have time to think about indulging in our evil desires. 

But it’s a choice. 

A choice to be clothed in Christ.

And a choice to NOT think about self and to love others.

Remember: Love is patient, kind, never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance.

Love is NOT jealous, boastful, proud, rude, irritable, demanding, or self-centered. Nor does it keep track of when it is wronged. (1 Cor 13)

I don’t know about you, but I need to work on my love.

I need to work on my choices.

When my day doesn’t go as I’d like, I need to remember to focus on God and not self.

Bad days will come, but they don’t have to stay.

It’s a choice.

FYI-
Need something to read over Spring Break?  My book, The Precipice: When Everything We Know Ends will be FREE on Amazon March 10-14.