I Hope You Have a Bad Day!
Whenever a friend is getting ready to leave on vacation, it’s pretty standard to say, “I hope you have a great time!” But listening to Wendy’s sermon about everything that went wrong on our first family trip to Red River, New Mexico, made me realize something: I hope you have a bad day.
When I was a kid, most of our vacations were planned around catching the Yankees or Red Sox, or to see a certain baseball player when they visited the Texas Rangers. One year, we decided to mix it up and go see the Kansas City Royals. With Dad, any baseball was great baseball, and Mom wanted to see the dancing fountains in the outfield. We also went to Worlds of Fun and the Truman Library, but knowing I was a Civil War buff, Mom planned a special trip to the Lexington Battlefield.
Today, Lexington, MO, is an hour east of Kansas City. Instead of I-70, we decided to take scenic Highway 24, a two-lane blacktop that is seemingly under construction the entire 55 miles. Multiple times we sat at a dead stop for 20-30 minutes in a black 1970 Plymouth Fury with black vinyl seats and an air conditioner that had stopped working the day before. After untold miserable hours, we finally reached the Lexington Battlefield about 4:30 p.m. There sat one old cannon overlooking an open field. No visitors center or friendly tour guide; not even a plaque. The only other thing in the entire town was a cannonball lodged in a column at the courthouse.
Me, Mom and Dad had so many good times on vacation. Most days were full of fun times. But those aren’t the days we remember. Instead, we laugh about Dad breaking a rib grabbing one of Hank Aaron’s foul balls, about getting Mom through the bird cage at the Tiki Gardens, or the little old man who led us through a Colorado Springs clock museum. Still, nothing will ever compare to the Lexington Battlefield.
You know, God has a way of taking the bad things – those miserable times in our lives – and using them to shape our lives in ways to help us serve others. That is not to say that God causes bad things to happen, rather God works within the bad that already exists. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28). I can look back at tough times I’ve experienced – and bad choices I made – and see how they’ve changed me for better. I don’t typically laugh about them like I do about vacation mishaps, but I’m left with a sense that things will ultimately be OK. So, in the best possible way, let me wish that you have a very bad day!
– Chris Lambert, Director of Meals on Wheels OKC
