What to Do When Your Day Does Not Turn Out Like You Expect
As much as you may plan, your day may NOT turn out like you expect. Here’s what to do to manage the surprises of life.
Today’s the first day of school for my family. It starts the thirteenth year of homeschooling my children, and I’m the proud mom of two high schoolers now.
Because this was my thirteenth first day of teaching, I thought I knew what to expect. I needed to keep my expectations low and not try to cram too much in, because most years I end up feeling completely discouraged and overwhelmed. How many first days, as a homeschooling mom to my littles, did I end up crying, and telling the Lord that I just couldn’t do this? Way too many. This year would be different.
And this year has been different. For one, there are no tears. Not even when I took the annual first day of school photos and realized that next year would be the last one I’d get to take of my son. Soon, the awkwardly hilarious photos of trying to get both my son and daughter to hold signs next to each other and smile will be over, and they’ll be grown and gone. I have just one more first day of school wrestling match and laughter to capture in images.
Happy First Day of School?!?
This morning I realized the difference right away: I never heard my alarm clock and completely overslept. On the first day of school.
That started my day with a completely different mood and attitude than I hoped for. I certainly started with prayers, but as always, they were the desperate prayers of a homeschool mama who wants to do the best thing for her kids while fully and completely recognizing her own weaknesses and faults.
My delayed start served as an accurate precursor to the rest of my morning:
- The special back-to-school breakfast I planned was not only late, but also scaled way back due to the time.
- My son logged into his college account to order his needed supplies, and I rediscovered the sticker shock of college textbooks.
- Later, when my son logged into his online math program and completed the first lesson, he discovered the surprising fact that Advanced Math textbook we owned wasn’t the right edition, and the course wasn’t what we expected. I had to stop everything to research what course and textbook was needed, then order a replacement and make the switch.
- In the middle of all of these mistakes and ordering, my daughter joined us for government class after her alarm clock hadn’t gone off. Two of the three of us woke up much later than we hoped.
As I write this, I look around and see books scattered everywhere, dirty dishes from breakfast still in the kitchen sink, and my daily to-do list that’s now covered in arrows as I’m trying to figure out how I’ll fit everything into my day.
Staying calm in the storms of life
I could let this day of mishaps color the rest of our school year. I could even let it wreck my mood for today. Or, I could choose to approach all of these mishaps with the coping skills I’ve learned throughout twelve years of homeschooling.
Life happens. It’s unpredictable. As much as I’d like to stick to plans and try to ensure everything goes a particular way, I need to go with the flow and ask the Lord to show me what He would have me do this day.
How can you and I choose calm when we’re in the middle of a storm, whether it’s a trivial change in plans or something that seems massively destructive? How can we find peace in the midst of turmoil?
First, we need to get our minds off our situations and circumstances and ourselves and on to the One who will make a difference. Isaiah 26:3-4 tells us:
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal” (NIV).
When we choose to trust in the Lord, we choose to trust in the Rock eternal. He’s solid and immovable. He won’t shift or crumble when storms of life rage. When we choose to trust in Him as our Rock, our minds become fixed and unmovable. That unswerving loyalty to the Lord Himself fills us with perfect peace.
He is the One who will keep us in His perfect peace.
Controlling the chaos
Once we experience perfect peace through Him–by praying to Him, telling Him our frustrations, asking Him for His peace, and choosing to trust Him–we can tend to our swirling thoughts and the chaos in our lives.
One way I personally prefer to deal with this practically is to take a moment to make a list of everything I need to do and figure out when I can do it.
The next thing I do to calm myself down in the middle of chaos is to clean something wherever I am. If I’m at work, I’ll organize a desk drawer. If I’m at home, I’ll take care of cluttered countertops or scrub out my kitchen sink. Choosing to stop and actively clean up a mess, even if it’s a fairly small area, helps me get some of my stress out and it helps make my surroundings look and feel better.
Finally, I start working through my list. It’s time to make up for the time I’ve spent sidetracked by my distractions. Now that I’m working with the peace of the Lord and have created a solid game plan, it’s time to get busy working out my plan. Speaking of which, since I still have time and an opportunity to redeem this scattered first day of school, it’s time to bake a cake to celebrate my students at dinner tonight!
When your days don’t turn out like you expect, what do you do to redeem the situation?
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Hilary, I just love the way you share your heart with us, both the good and the not so great! Isaiah 26:3 is one of my favorite go to Scriptures for calming my heart and refocusing on our Lord. I often pray this verse over others as well. It’s a blessing to know you and serve with you!