Pondering suffering: One of life's great conundrums

How is it that you can come to the end of a day that seemed "horrible" and not feel too badly, yet a day that wasn't that bad feels "terrible"?

I suppose it has to do with the attitude you start out with. (Maybe it has more to do with how much chocolate you eat during the day!) But I don't really understand suffering -- what I consider to be one of life's great conundrums.

Today was one of the days that should have fallen into the "not so good" category: While dealing with two minor, yet quite uncomfortable, health issues, I learned that I probably won't be able to go to my gym for a couple of weeks. I spent more time than I wanted to running around in the car at lunchtime, trying to find a solution to one of the discomforts, and I saw gasoline prices drop 6 cents per gallon -- the day after I filled my tank! Oh yeah, and I got a hospital bill in the mail for more than $1,000 after my health insurance has paid its share. So much for paying down debt -- AGAIN!

All in all, not the best day I've ever had. Yet instead of sitting and bemoaning my fate like Job did for about 37 chapters in the Bible, I pretty much accepted that I couldn't change anything by complaining and rolled with the punches today. Not bad, right?

Yeah, I suppose, but what fascinates me about human emotions is that just a few days ago -- when none of the above things had happened -- I was grumbling to myself and "bummed out" simply because a package I ordered for delivery April 5 hadn't arrived, and the company shipping it had no idea when it will arrive because the main item is on back-order.

Although I'm tempted to blame a chemical imbalance (not enough chocolate chip cookies in my diet these days), I truly have no good explanation. Yet as I continue along this journey called life, I'm working hard to roll with ALL the punches life dishes out, rather than bemoaning anything that happens to me.

Just as Job learned that God was still with him, even when it seemed he had abandoned him and allowed him to suffer horribly, I struggle to remind myself that no matter what life dishes out -- major or minor -- there's always a helping hand (or two) reaching down to pull me out of my pit of despair. And when things seem "terrible," it's probably time for a reality check and a reminder that it's not that big of a deal in the overall scheme of things.

That doesn't mean I won't have moody days anymore (sorry, family and co-workers!), but it does mean that I'll try hard to make them fewer and farther between. (In the meantime, if anyone has a magic answer as to why some days seem worse than others, I'd love to hear it.)

May God bless you with an abundance of sunny days -- and when He doesn't, may you always remember that He's still with you those days too!