Invariably and almost predictably, will come a day in our jobs which feels like a day of distress. We all know these days. These are the days when no matter what we have going, nothing is going right. These are the days when no one seems happy with our performance and what we are doing for them. These are the days when we don’t know who to trust and who does or doesn’t have our back. These are the days when our nerves are so raw that we question the tone of each word that comes out of the mouth of others. These are the days when we just can’t wait for the day to end. Thankfully, they don’t come every day, but every few months or for a flurry once a year they do come and when they hit they hurt. I would like to say that I know a way to avoid them, but I don’t. What I do know is how to cope when they do arrive, and arrive they will. We can manage through these times on two planes. On the human side, knowing where we are emotionally so that we recognize our own signs of distress is very important. I think of the story of the boy who digs a hole and is so intent on digging the hole as deep as it can go that he forgets to look up until he finds that he dug the hole so deep that he can’t get out. We all are guilty of that on occasion. What we cannot do is forget to look up to know and understand where we are at all times. When the days of distress hit if we try to ignore the warning signs and we don’t adjust then we will find ourselves overwhelmed without any way to get our of our own hole. The other plane to manage on is our faith. God allows these days of distress to hit us but He will never give us more than we can handle, if, we are open and willing to take these days to Him for His help. We have many promises of this throughout God’s Word. David sings out this promise in Psalm 143:11; “For the glory of your name, O Lord, preserve my life. Because of your faithfulness, bring me out of this distress.” Today you may be either in or entering a day of distress. Do you know the signs for yourself? And more importantly, are you ready to allow God to be there for you when it hits? Now is the time of preparation, not when the distress is upon you. Start today with asking God to help you through this day and to strengthen your faith in Him and to ready you for anything that comes along. If you do this, the days of distress, when they do come, you will be ready.

Reference: Psalm 143:11 (New Living Testament)