Bad Days Are a Test of Character

I wish that I had written this, but I didn't. It was in a church bulletin, and was attributed to Kari Myers, entitled "Being Good When You Feel Bad," The Link

It goes:
Sickness, stress and sleep deprivation are three things that can really do a number on a person's disposition. Don't ask me how I know this. I just do. Maybe you know it, too. It is hard to be good when we don't feel good.

When we feel bad, physically or emotionally, we tend not to handle things as well as we would on a good day. Bad days can tempt us to focus inward. If they persist, we can fall into self-pity or become obsessed with improving our situation. We can become self-absorbed, self-serving or just plain selfish. But it does not havbe to be so.

Jesus showed us another way. At the moment of his betrayal to an angry mob who would take him to a cruel death, he healed the servant of his enemy. On the worst of days, as he was unjustly arrested and threatened, he responded with compassion. In the midst of his own pain he took notice of and tended to the pain of another.

Jesus loved in good times and bad. So feeling bad is not an excuse. It's a test. Bad days are a test of character. They show how closely, or not so closely, we're following the example of Christ. They also build character.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul calls us not just to endure suffering, but to rejoice in it. For "suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope" (5:3-4). So the next time things take a turn for the worse, let's look for ways to serve others. We can be good even when we feel bad.