Leviticus 22:7
“And when the sun is down, he shall be clean, and shall afterward eat of the holy things; because it is his food.”
God gave the priests specific instructions as to how to conduct themselves so that they would not be unclean. If they touched something unclean, they were specifically instructed by God that they were not to eat of the holy things or conduct their duties in the temple. However, this uncleanness didn’t last forever. God said in the verse above, “And when the sun is down, he shall be clean…” In other words, after a bad day they could look forward to the sun setting because, once it set, they were considered clean and able to partake of the holy things again.
Though these instructions were talking about the holy things in the tabernacle, the principle God set for the priests still applies to you. Everybody is going to have a bad day. Your status, money or name will not stop you from having a bad day. When you have a bad day, there are three things you must do to keep it from destroying your future.
First, realize that your bad day won’t last forever. When the priest had a bad day, all they had to do was wait for the sun to set to start a new day. You may be having a bad day, but let me remind you that the sun will set; the bad day won’t last forever. Don’t let your bad day emotionally destroy you. Many people have let their bad day devastate them when in reality they could have made it had they realized the sun was going to set and it wouldn’t last forever. Yes, you are going to have a bad day at some point, but it will end. The sun is going to set and you are going to be able to face and enjoy a new day.
Second, understand that there is always a tomorrow. The significance of the sun setting was that it was when their next day started. Unlike our modern calendar, they started a new day at sunset. When you have a bad day, remember that there is the opportunity for you to have a good day tomorrow. A bad day today doesn’t mean tomorrow has to be bad. Let each day live on its own. Tomorrow will bring its own challenges, so look forward to tomorrow’s challenges when you are having a bad day today.
Third, don’t let today’s bad day hinder the blessings of tomorrow. The only way tomorrow is going to be better is if you don’t carry today’s luggage into it. The priest never had to worry about being unclean for more than one day. When the sun set, their uncleanness was over. They could have lived as if they were still unclean the next day, but that would have been needless and kept them from doing their duties to help others. If you carry yesterday’s baggage into today’s opportunities, you will needlessly keep God from using you to help others. My friend, you are going to have to have a short memory when it comes to having a bad day. Don’t ruin the rest of your life by carrying around the baggage you picked up yesterday. Lay that baggage aside and live for your new day.
Everyone is going to have those days that are going to be long days that you wish never happened. When you are having one of those days, let this devotional be a reminder that the sun will set and there will be a tomorrow. Life is too short to let one day ruin the rest of your life. You can rejoice in the fact that God has already formed your tomorrow, and if you will live one day at a time, you can enjoy today’s opportunities if you don’t carry yesterday’s luggage into it.