A new day

Yesterday, I shared with you the tough day I had the day before. When everything seemed to go wrong. I was frowning a lot, I guess, because my daughter looked at me on the couch and said, "Daddy smile." She does that to me a lot. She likes to play pretend and one of her favorite pretend games is pu'e ata. She pretends she has a camera and pretends to take pictures.

I didn't feel like smiling, but I did anyway. You wouldn't believe some of the pretend games she makes me play. One day I'm Eve, the next day I'm a soldier getting off a plane in Iraq. What can I say, the girl has a vivid imagination.

Often, when we're in the midst of a bad day or going through a rough stretch, it's hard for us to smile. But the encouraging Word of God tells us to count our blessings. When we step back and look at the big picture, it's easy to let the "small stuff" get in the way of our happiness.

When we're having difficulties, it's hard to call them "small stuff." When you don't have a car, it can hardly be called "small stuff." But the Bible says that "this too shall pass." I know, MUCH easier said than done. But as I have reflected on my walk with the Lord, I have seen that it gets a little easier each time. At first, it was really hard to step back and say, "this too shall pass. This will only make me stronger." It was hard. It's still hard. But if we're to be faithful to God and His Word, then we have to have faith that no matter what life throws at us, God's grace is sufficient for us.

Does that mean we smile at everything? No. Ecclestiastes says that there is a time for everything. I time for us to cry. A time for us to be angry. A time for us to be sick. But through all those times, know that God is there with us and will see us through. He will never put us through anything we can't handle and will always give us a way out of our difficulties. And that's enough to put a smile on your face. Even if its forced sometimes.