When my children were young, I often read them a bedtime story called “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” by Judith Viorst. The book follows Alexander as he faces one misfortune after another, from gum in his hair to a cavity at the dentist. Despite Alexander’s woes, his mother offers a simple yet profound insight: “Some days are like that. Even in Australia.”
Bad Days
I dare say there isn’t a person alive today who cannot relate to this story at some level—days when it seems like everything is going wrong. While as children, these days may feel like the worst day we will ever know, as we grow older, we realize that these bad days, these challenges, grow to become even more daunting. Perhaps it’s not just a bad day, but a bad week or even a bad year.
Dealing With Tragedy
Recently, our community witnessed two families enduring their own terrible days. Two children, with their lives ahead of them, were taken in two separate incidents—one because of a health issue and one because of an unexpected tragedy. Our community has been reeling over these two deaths, with many asking, “Why?” Just recently, I read of another incident of a pastor suddenly losing their young daughter over a fluke badminton accident. All over the news we hear and see people who are experiencing their own set of “Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Days.” And again, the question is asked—“Why?”
Why Does God Allow Suffering?
In times of hardship and difficulty, we may wonder why God allows such suffering. The story of Job offers some insight. Job, like Alexander, faced unimaginable loss in a single day—his children, livelihood, and health. Despite his despair, Job remained faithful, and God eventually restored all he had lost. And even in the midst of his pain and sorrow, as he sat on the ground mourning all that he had lost, Job didn’t throw his hands and curse towards heaven. Instead, Job asked the hard questions of “why” and “where are you in all this God?”—and still praised God for who He is. Job reminded himself and those around him who God is and what He will always be, which is simply good—even when, at the moment, life seems hard. It’s as if, in his grief, he resounded the truth for all to hear, “Even so—He is good!”
Telling Ourselves the Truth
Job is not the only man who faced trials and difficult days and questioned God in the middle of his “Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Days.” There was a man who some would say had it all in life. A king who had it all and was even called a man after God’s own heart. Yet, even these things did not remove the pain that comes from life’s difficult and traumatic moments for David. David’s life was brimming with these moments. For years, David was always on guard for attacks from the jealous king who ruled before him. David even lost a close friend because of the maddening jealous rage this king poured out upon David and the nation of Israel. After becoming king, David faced the crushing grief of losing a young child. Through these events, David seemed almost to shake his fist at God in one breath, but then worship Him in the next breath—almost as if he was trying to speak truth to his heart, much like Job. In Psalm 22, we find a prime example of this wrestling. It almost seems as if David was emotionally all over the place writing that. Yet he keeps returning to this truth— “Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it” (Psalm 22:30-31). You can almost see David throwing his fist into the air with a smile on his face, yelling, “Even so—He is good!”
Where is Our Hope?
When we encounter our own bad days, weeks, or years, we can find hope in three truths. First, bad days reveal that God believes in us. He trusts us with the challenges we face and promises to work all things for our good. Second, adversity reveals our inner strength. Like Job and David, may we respond with worship rather than despair, trusting in God’s power to sustain us. Lastly, these trials put things into perspective. People and earthly solutions cannot bring lasting peace—only Jesus can. Through Jesus’s “Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” upon the cross as He took on all the world’s sins forever, He erased every bad day with His great love for us. And He is still doing it today.
Whether facing a bad day or a season of darkness, may we find solace in the unshakeable peace offered by our Savior Jesus Christ. For it is there that when our “Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Days” arrive, we can cry out, “Even so—He is good!”
“…give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (2 Thessalonians 5:18).
