An A for Effort

This was a day when I earned an A for effort but failed at pretty much everything else.

It was primary election day, and I had checked the voting hours and knew exactly when and where I was supposed to vote. The polls opened at 7, and I had until 8:00 before our morning really took off, so I figured I could easily squeeze it in.

I hopped in the car and noticed I needed gas. No problem. I stopped at the gas station only to discover that it was a no-gas-available gas station. Apparently, that is a thing.

Off to the polling site I went, running on fumes. When I pulled in, though, it looked closed. There wasn't a car in the parking lot. I texted my sister, who works at another polling site, and she assured me that it should be open. Except it wasn't.

I went back to my car, found another gas station that had gas, and then made a quick stop at home to load the bikes and all of our gear before the girls and I were off to our hair appointments and then the camper. Oh, wait, one of the bikes had a flat tire. No time for that, so I grabbed a spare bike instead.

We made a quick stop for coffee, and that was basically the last thing that went according to plan.

That morning, I had done the Peace Beyond Circumstances devotional by Ed Young on Bible.com, and one line really stuck with me: “Peace is not the absence of trouble. It’s the presence of Jesus.” Little did I know that I was about to have several opportunities to practice exactly that.

The hair appointments went fine, but after that we were on a mission to find a stuffed animal my youngest had been working toward earning. Of course, it was out of stock.

Meanwhile, my 15-year-old, who had been recovering well from having her wisdom teeth removed, suddenly took a turn. She was adamant that she was fine and determined to go to a boutique that was having a big sale. On the drive there, I could tell she was definitely not fine.

We made a pit stop at Walmart, where the People of Walmart were going strong. Aisles were blocked, shelves weren't stocked, and everything seemed to take twice as long as it should. Then we set out for the boutique, where we drove around looking for a parking spot until we finally found one.

It was getting hot. I mean, really hot. We made the sweaty walk to the store, with my 15-year-old dragging behind us. She looked around but didn't find anything, while I spotted a cute pair of sandals that were 50% off. Unfortunately, the checkout line was more than 30 people long, and there was no way those sandals were worth that wait.

So we went back to the car for the hour drive to the camper, and by then it was obvious that my daughter was continuing to go downhill.

We were on a 60-mph road, but apparently nobody else had received the memo. Everyone seemed to be going 50–55 mph, which felt extra painful when I was ready to just get to the camper.

When we finally arrived, I called the dentist, and he wanted her to start another medication, which meant I got to turn right around and head back to Walmart, a different one.

By this point, I was frustrated and tired, and it felt like I had spent the entire day doing a whole lot of things without accomplishing anything. And I kept thinking back to that devotional: "Peace isn't the absence of trouble; it is the presence of Jesus."

I found myself praying more throughout the day, little prayers: Help me, Jesus. Give me patience. Help me keep my peace. Please let her feel better.

“The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.” — Psalm 29:11

Psalm 29:11 is the Scripture for the final day of the same devotional, which was perfect after the day I had just survived.

The pharmacist was helpful, and thankfully, the prescription was ready when I arrived. By the next morning, my daughter was feeling better, and we were off to a new day.

Maybe I better be a little more careful about praying for peace, because apparently God is willing to give me plenty of opportunities to practice it. That day was enough practice for a while.

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About Make Monday Matter

Make Monday Matter is my weekly Christian devotional where I share reflections on faith, running, and the small ways God shows up in everyday life.