Boo Hoo Days

I have talked to several people recently who are going through a rough time.  Some are reliving painful memories, some are just facing normal life struggles, and one is facing something scary that is still to come. I will add myself to this list because I had a pretty rough day one day this week too.

I watched Diane Sawyer’s 20/20 story of Congresswoman Gabby Gifford and her husband, Mark Kelly. Gabby was shot in the head at a rally and this story is a video diary that Mark made of her following her recovery. If you have not seen it, I would highly recommend that you take the time watch it.

There was one particular scene that has stayed in my mind so vividly. Gabby is in rehab and they are trying to teach her to say a word. She keeps failing at this and finally, instead of crying, she puts her head down and repeatedly kept saying, “Boo hoo, boo hoo, boo hoo.” The therapist asked her if she was frustrated and Gabby could not put the words to her feelings. She then began to sob in frustration. Her mouth could not speak what her heart was feeling.

I have thought about that scene over and over. Maybe it struck a personal chord because I have spent time in rehab and have felt the depths of that frustration when you cannot do what you want to do. But, even now, I think all of us have days that I am going to call “Boo Hoo” days.

Boo Hoo days just happen. They are planned or pre-meditated. Actually, they kind of hit like a surprise attack! Life just seems to suddenly smack you in the face and, as you sit in shock, it is hard to even express your innermost feelings. Sometimes it is hard to know the words to say and other times, you know exactly the words you are thinking, but it is hard to face them.

During my own Boo Hoo day this week, I reminded myself of this verse: “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Romans 8:26 

This verse was such a comfort to me! To know that I have such a friend like this that knows me, knows my name, knows my heart and even knows the things to say that I can only seem to groan about in my despair. What a friend! I can just grunt something and He knows exactly what it means. You know what else? He takes what I mean and He prays for me. Wow. Jesus Christ praying for me on a Boo Hoo day. If that can’t help your day, then I don’t know what will.

I am so thankful for my everlasting Friend, Who takes my struggles, my pain, my misunderstandings, my despair, my turmoil, my weariness, my crisis, my frustrations and when I can’t mutter anything my heart feels except for “Boo Hoo”, He knows exactly what I need and He prays for me.

Here is one of my favorite hymns because it puts my heart right where it needs to be on my own Boo Hoo days.

Jesus Is All the World To Me

1. Jesus is all the world to me,
   My life, my joy, my all;
   He is my strength from day to day,
   Without Him I would fall.
   When I am sad, to Him I go,
   No other one can cheer me so;
   When I am sad, He makes me glad,
   He’s my Friend.
2. Jesus is all the world to me,
   My Friend in trials sore;
   I go to Him for blessings, and
   He gives them o’er and o’er.
   He sends the sunshine and the rain,
   He sends the harvest’s golden grain;
   Sunshine and rain, harvest of grain,
   He’s my Friend.
3. Jesus is all the world to me,
   And true to Him I’ll be;
   Oh, how could I this Friend deny,
   When He’s so true to me?
   Following Him I know I’m right,
   He watches o’er me day and night;
   Following Him by day and night,
   He’s my Friend.
4. Jesus is all the world to me,
   I want no better Friend;
   I trust Him now, I’ll trust Him when
   Life’s fleeting days shall end.
   Beautiful life with such a Friend,
   Beautiful life that has no end;
   Eternal life, eternal joy,
   He’s my Friend.