Words of Faith: What to do when you're in a bad mood

Jesus and My Bad Mood Day
A Words of Faith Story written by Sherri Stone

So it happened…I woke up one morning in a bad mood. No reason. Just irritable and mad at my husband who wasn’t even awake yet. I rammed my little toe into the dresser, spilled water on the floor, dropped my make-up brush into the sink and got it wet. My hair was, well, my hair. I’m overweight and short and I need new shoes. And underwear – it’s falling apart and that’s got to be someone’s fault. And why is there nothing sweet in this entire house? And what happened to the…

You get the picture. Not pretty. Not a tragedy. Not even close. Just a bad mood day. But mighty ugly.

I had just finished a month of fasting that was so amazing. God taught me so much during that time and I was learning to trust him in a deeper way than ever before. I felt like I’d accomplished something together with God. And now this. No huge obstacle or terrible thing to challenge my trust in God. Just a really bad mood. I sat down that morning, partly because it seemed dangerous to keep moving around, and partly because I felt so defeated. By my own mood. How ridiculous. How immature. How very sad.

Then God spoke to my heart. Invite me into this day. Into this mess. Invite me in. So I did. I repeated the prayer I’d prayed so often during my fast. It doesn’t feel good or right. It doesn’t even feel like you’re there. BUT I CHOOSE TO TRUST YOU.

My bad mood lasted all day. Everything irritated me and I have no idea why. But God was there. Right in the middle of my mood and my mess. He didn’t fix it. He didn’t even fix me. He just walked with me that day because I shared it with him. Over and over that day my thoughts turned to God and I knew he was there. He wasn’t intimidated by my bad mood. I vented all the way to work and all the way home. He listened. He didn’t change anything that day, but he never left me. And that changed me. It made me grateful.

We are so quick to pick up the phone and call or text a friend or our family when we’re having a bad day. We Tweet and post on Facebook as if the world really cares and wants to hear it. We invite everyone in except the One who can and will stick with us in a way no other mortal being can. I’m not saying we shouldn’t share with our friends. They are gifts from God to walk with us through life, but God wants that privilege first.

God is there for the tragedies of our lives and that’s when we are quick to call on him. But he wants to be Lord of our bad mood days, too. I was guilty of thinking that since it was my mood it had to be my fault, therefore God had to be disappointed in me. I metaphorically sent myself to my room without supper until my attitude got straightened out. The problem with that is, I was cutting myself off from the very One who could change that attitude. He didn’t let me get away with that this time. He gently pushed his way into my bad mood day and simply lived it with me. Now I find myself on those days saying, I don’t know what’s wrong with me today but I’m glad you’re here with me. I also realized that the only thing about that day that could separate me from God was me.

It is a powerful thing to build that kind of history with Jesus. If we practice that on good days, and on the bad mood days, when the big challenges come we will be ready to trust Him with those too, with a deeper trust, and a deeper knowledge of who he is and why He does what He does.

It’s not about doing anything for Him. It’s about living life with Him. And that is the sweetest thing of all. 

~*~
Author bio: 

Sherri is a social worker by day and a writer by night. 

Her debut fiction novel, Sacred Ashes, was released last year and is available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble. 

More fiction and some non-fiction inspirational books are in the works and she is looking forward to finding God’s purpose for her next fifty years. 

Connect with Sherri:
Website - sherristone.net
Blog - hospiceheartbeats.com
Facebook - sherrilynnestone
Twitter - @sherristone2
Pinterest - pinterest.com/sherriston