WACKY WEDNESDAY WISDOM- Best Day Ever

     When people ask about my day, I don't like replying that I'm having a bad day. And when the day is over, I find it difficult to say I've had a bad day. I think that's because I am always aware that my worse day dulls in comparison to the challenges and hardships many other people in the world face on a given day. So in that respect, I don't feel worthy of being able to classify one of my days as a bad day.
     Of course, bad things can happen during a day. But does that mean the entire day should be labeled as bad? If you end the day having eaten three good meals, have a roof over your head, have people in your life who love you, have a job, have your health, and have seen a raindrop or a sunset, then it's hard to call it a bad day, even if there have been setbacks along the way.
     Even so, I was having a rough day that day, though it ended pretty well. Oops, I have a habit of starting a story in the middle, so let me back up.
     A year or so ago, a female college student came to my head baseball coach office and explained to me that she was the leader of a group on campus that did "feet washing" for other students and teams at Gardner-Webb as a way of demonstrating servanthood and humility. She asked if I would be willing to allow our team to have our feet washed by the members of her group at a point in the near future.
     I listened as she explained the procedure and how she and her group made things "unweird" (my word) and comfortable for all involved. Highly impressed and greatly appreciative of her willingness to serve in this manner, I agreed to have our team participate.
     That meeting led to more meetings for Emma and me and in the course of planning the event, we became friends. Despite the fact that I perceived her as being much more spiritually mature than I could ever be, I tried to share some verses and wisdom with her that I thought could encourage her along the way.  And she seemed to appreciate it.
     A few weeks ago I went to hear Emma give her testimony at church and she delivered her inspirational message like a seasoned speaker. A week or so after that, she requested a few moments of my time to ask me a quick question. In the same office where we first met, Emma informed me that she had been named to the Homecoming Court at Gardner-Webb. I let her know how proud I was. Then she asked if I would be willing to escort her at halftime since her dad was not going to be able to come from Mississippi.
     I immediately answered in the affirmative so as not to give her a chance to change her mind. I've raised three boys, so escorting a young lady for anything has never been part of my resume.
     It rained on Homecoming day but that didn't dampen our spirits, though it did make unruly the few hairs that still remain on my head. "Don't trip," I kept telling Emma before we went on the field. With a laugh, she informed me that the more I mentioned about not tripping, the more likely she was to trip. I was actually trying to distract her from being nervous, though I think I was more anxious than she was. What if I trip, I kept thinking. What if I go to the wrong spot. What if I faint. That sorta thing.
     Just before the name of the winner was announced, I had this feeling (awareness, instinct, whatever) that Emma was going to win. And she did. I immediately whispered in her ear, "You'll remember this moment for the rest of your life". She replied, "Stop talking, you're ruining it. And get your big shoe off my foot so I can go get my crown." (Okay, she didn't really say that, but it would have made for a good story).
     Afterward in the stands, I spent time with some of Emma's family. I kept telling her 8-year-old sister Sophie, who was ecstatic and giddy with pride, "This is probably your best day ever." She grinned and clutched her big sister's arm.
     So back to the story about the rough day I was having recently. Not a bad day (remember my rules for bad day declarations), but one with its fair share of challenges and frustrations. Just before leaving to go home that afternoon, I saw something that had been left for me outside my office. There was a framed picture of Emma and me on Homecoming Day. There was a nice card with nice words written inside it. And there was a drawing from an 8-year-old sister, featuring Emma and me, with a caption at the top that read "Best Day Ever."
     My gloomy day abruptly turned sunny. Little sister Sophie was right. Homecoming was the best day ever and this challenging day of mine could have been a lot worse. Psalm 118:24 says "This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it." It doesn't say I should rejoice only when I have great days, or days when things go my way. It says "this day". Period.
     I am alive. I am breathing the breathe of life. I am enjoying the grace, mercy, and peace of the Savior. I am able to love and be loved. I rest in the assurance of a future eternity with my Lord. It's a good day.