Beds ought to come with warnings:

Caution: Waking up on the wrong side could be hazardous to your relationships.

The origin of this idiom can be found in ancient Roman superstition. These people believed each side of the bed connected to either positive or negative forces. The side you exited determined the fate of your day.

Today, we use this expression to describe a day when we wake up grumpy and stay that way. As I did earlier this week.

I don’t know why I woke up irritable. But negative forces did seem to attack as I prepared for an early morning appointment. Clothing pulled from my overstuffed closet needed steaming. Items fell from my overly crammed cabinet. As we rushed out the door, my usually patient husband looked frustrated.

In the car, I started an argument over something of no consequence. As we worked through the issue, I finally came to terms with the source of my grumpy feelings: fallout from the second wave of COVID-19.

When COVID-19 first hit, I personally knew no one who tested positive. But this time is different. 

Within my circle of friends, I know several who tested positive and fought through recovery. Tragically, some of my friends recently lost loved ones to this illness.

To ensure safety, we canceled our family holiday plans. This will be the first time we will not celebrate the holidays together.

I know we are not alone. All around me I watch as friends rework wedding celebrations and baby showers. All because of a virus we can’t see or control.

So rather than facing my frustration, I picked a fight with my husband over something visible and controllable. 

Uncovering the true issue didn’t automatically chase the grumpies away, but it did remind me of a simple truth:

A heart full of gratitude has no room for grumpiness. 

I’ve read the Bible long enough to know it reminds us to be grateful, even for our struggles:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4 ESV)

Frankly, I fully appreciate the truth of this Scripture after I have come through the trial, when I learned the lesson and can see the growth in my character. 

In the midst of the struggle, it helps me to consider the example of the prophet Habakkuk. This prophet served during a time the people rebelled against God.

Habakkuk described his angst over the people’s sin and struggled to understand why God didn’t intervene. In response, God revealed Babylon would soon conquer Jerusalem and take the people hostage. 

Again, Habakkuk tried to understand. How could God use one evil country to punish another one? In response, God promised to bring judgement on the Babylonians, but in His own time.

As he wrestled through God’s answers, Habakkuk reached the following conclusion:

Though the fig tree should not blossom,
     nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
     and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
     and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
     I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength;
     he makes my feet like the deer’s;
     he makes me tread on my high places. (Habakkuk 3:17-19 ESV)

I appreciate Habakkuk’s vulnerability as he voiced his doubts to God. He helps me understand how to find gratitude when I would rather grumble.

Habakkuk faced the facts of his physical circumstances. Harvests and livestock, central to Hebrew farming, symbolized prosperity and abundance. The lack of these represents incredible loss. Once he acknowledged the loss, he moved on.

Habakkuk rejoiced in his salvation and recognized the source of his strength. Hardships can be fierce and painful, but they remain powerless over our salvation. When we take our struggles to the Lord, His strength gives us confidence to rise above our circumstances.

COVID-19 gives me plenty of reasons to grumble. But grumpiness never solves a problem and often strains relationships. Finding reasons to be thankful, even as I struggle, helps me find the strength I need to weather the storm. 

Wherever the road takes us next, I pray we can rejoice in our salvation and lean on the strength of the One who will lead us home.