One of those Funky Days

We all have those kinds of days where we are just in a funk. I had one of those days today. One can’t rightly reckon why or how these sorts of day occur. In fact, it’s hard to actually describe what’s wrong…maybe it’s a lack of sleep, or a crook in the neck, or whiney kids, or just an itch to be ornery. I swear, sometimes we just seem to get out of bed with a notion to prove to the world that natural depravity does indeed exist. For the life of me I can’t figure out why these funks occur or how to avoid them.

And, don’t go quoting Scripture to me at this point and preaching to me that the righteous don’t have funks, or those who read their Bible’s and pray everyday don’t have “off” days. I’ve lived long enough to know that whether I’ve done my devotions or prayed or taught a theology class, these funks still come over a body. And, I think any attempt to figure out precisely why we get into these funks is an exercise in futility. We human beings are simply too whole, too integrated, too terribly complex to pin down what specifically ails us.

I’ve found that I can’t always find a good reason for what ails me. Why I don’t know the cause, I do know the cure. Today I went out for a 45 minute snowshoe hike in the woods. I brought my funk with me into the woods. I shared my frustration and today’s failures with God. I didn’t hear a direct answer, but encountered a beautiful gulley tucked away in the woods that I hadn’t noticed before. I followed a fresh blanket of new snow into an inviting pasture. I listened to my breath quicken as a marched up a ridge. At the top, I stopped and rested hearing nothing more than the rustling of a gentle breeze through a nearby pine. I sat in silence and in reverence of the beauty around me and was reminded that there is One who sustains and fills voids with beauty, even in the cold, lifeless seasons of existence.

Sitting there, I came to the realization that all the world is in its own strange funk. Even creation itself groans and awaits the day that it can be released from its own bondage. A cursed creation and sinful mankind form a perfect concoction for one gigantic ailment. Given this simple truth, I’m surprised we’re all not in funks more often!

Perhaps we should realize that being in a funk isn’t all bad. Maybe being in a funk every now and again is God’s way of reminding us that all is not yet well. That this world is not alright. And, maybe this realization brings us towards a hope of One who is at work sorting out all this mess. One who presently at work amidst my pain, setting all things right and making all things new.