None of our days are the same.
Some days are peace-filled and easy going whilst others are hectic, fast paced and busy. Other days are filled with joy and laughter and some come with sorrow, pain and heartache.
Some days you feel strong and invincible whereas some days you may feel battered and worn out.
This is part of the human experience in this fallen world. But is it part of the Christian experience?
As Christians are allowed to experience highs and lows? Are Christians allowed to experience good and bad days? Before we answer the let’s first define what a bad day is.
What is a “Bad Day”?
Generally, “a bad day”, is believed to be a day that doesn’t go well.
For example a “bad day” for an individual may be that they arrive late to work, have a strife-filled meeting with a colleague, miss lunch because they are swamped with work then leave the office late only to get a flat tyre on the way home.
A “bad day” for another individual may be one in which they spend the whole day sick and bedridden.
In both these situations, the individual involved will likely feel frustrated, angry, tired or sorrowful. In contrast a “good day” is likely to be filled with much more positive experiences or activities.
Now that has been defined, on to our question.
Are Christians Allowed to Have Bad Days?
Are Christians allowed to experience quote on quote “bad days”? To answer that question we could ask a few more.
Are Christians allowed to grieve? Are Christians allowed to be sorrowful? Are Christians allowed to get angry?
The answer to those questions is yes.
Some people, Christians and non-believers alike believe that being a Christians means you must always be nice and you must always be happy. But if even Jesus wept (John 11:35), are we not permitted to do the same?
The issue isn’t really whether or not Christians are allowed to experience negative emotions, but it’s about what we do with them. And so yes, Christians are allowed to have bad days because the issue isn’t really whether or not Christians are allowed to experience bad days, but how they respond when they come.
How Do You Respond to Bad Days?
What do you do when bad days come? Do you let them fill you with anxiety, ungodly anger and let them distance you from God?
Or do you draw closer to God in them, asking Him to help you see past them to what He’s doing? Do such days lead you to deeper prayer and encourage you to lean more heavily on the Lord?
We live in a fallen world that is far from the perfect world the Lord originally planned for us to live in so bad days are to be expected. Our goal is not to avoid them, necessarily, but not to let them affect our behaviour.
Don’t Let Bad Days Steal Your Joy
Paul encourages us in Philippians 4:4 to “rejoice in the Lord always.”
Rejoicing in the Lord does not negate the fact that a situation may be dire or challenging.
In the book of Acts we learn that Paul and Silas were beaten, shackled and thrown into prison. (Acts 16:16-24) But in the midst of that bad situation they responded with praise, thanksgiving and rejoicing. (Acts 16:25) Their singing hymns did not change the fact that they were in prison. But it impacted them in a positive way and allowed them to shift their attention to the only One who matters that is, God.
They responded this way, not because the day was good, but because the God they served was.
God Is Good Even When Our Days Are Not
This is what we must remember when it comes to our own situations. God is good all the time and all the time God is good.
Our circumstances won’t always match this truth. But we were never promised that they would.
Nowhere in the Bible does it say that “God is good therefore you shall have a good day.” In truth, the Bible shows us that God’s people have faced countless terrible situations and bad days. From slavery and ridicule to mocking and violence. Yet God has met them in those situations and shown them His goodness. And He will do the same for us, if we allow Him.
Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. He remains faithful, just and abounding in steadfast love. This is what we must keep in our hearts and minds and this is why we can rejoice and be filled with peace, during good days or bad days.
