My plans were perfectly laid. I would wake up, get the kids off to school, then enjoy a perfectly organized day of studying my brains out and cleaning the house. The kids would come home as I casually cooked dinner and later would tell my wife about the day’s great accomplishments.

But, days never work out like we plan do they? One of my kids had to stay home sick. Our car had to be taken into be fixed, and the internet wasn’t working so I was unable to study. As my week unfolded I noticed the similar pattern of my perfectly laid plans ruined daily. But, then I realized something.

What do Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, Unicorns, Leprechauns, and The Perfect Day have in common? None of them exist. There’s no such thing as the perfect day. I’ve had plenty of perfect moments, but never a fully perfect day.

We may wonder why at the end of any day it feels like we missed out on something important. We feel like there’s some joy or truth or special moment we somehow missed. Maybe our day was great, but it was stressful. We wanted it to be relaxing, but the kids were fighting. We wanted to spend time with the kids, but wished we had more time alone. We wanted to check off our to-do list at work, but others things kept popping up. And so our head hits the pillow believing our day just wasn’t as good as it could have and should have been. And the next morning we wake once more, pursuing the perfect day.

Growing up, each of us come to grips with the silliness of chasing after things that don’t exist. So, what would happen if you stopping chasing the perfect day? What if one morning you woke up to the realization there was no such thing and allowed all your expectations to melt away? Life is not perfect. We are not perfect. Your day will not be perfect.

When I was in high school I was discipled by a local pastor named Angus. One day as I shared how my life was not going the way I expected so he handed me a wooden cup he bought while in Jerusalem. He said, “This is the cup of the Lord, for you, drink deeply of it.” He often said deep and awesome things like that. But, I then realized how much time I wasted wishing things were different, instead of accepting what was. Our days are full of twists and turns and instead of wishing they turn out different, we should breath deep and drink deeply of what each day brings. The Bible says, “THIS is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps. 118:24). THIS is a day the Lord has made. Lean into it and accept it.

Whether it’s your work, dogs, kids, cars, or the house, whatever happens in your day today, instead of whining or wishing it was different, do something different. Drink deeply and accept it. I love how Oswald Chambers reminds me that God doesn’t determine the success of our day based on to-dos; He wants only for us to know Him today.

There are many things turning my attention towards heaven these days. I like it when life is smooth and steady, but that does not describe where things are for me right now. I notice when our attention is turned towards Him, He gets to show us that He is, in fact, near and in control, at work, and good. And that’s good news.

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