Bad Day? Here’s Why They’re Part of Having a Good Life

Why rest, not urgency, is often the thing that helps us find our footing again.

Last week, we had one of the strangest weeks in a long time. One where it felt like everything that could have gone wrong, did.

It got so random that at one point, my husband and I just looked at each other and burst out laughing. Sometimes life just… lifes so hard that you have to laugh to keep from crying.

It was strange, really.


To add insult to injury, our son got sick.
And we all know who was next — me.

You ever just feel like, “I don’t have time to be sick!”?

Yep, that’s exactly how I felt. And still, it happened.

So, a few bad days turned into a disastrous week and a half.

And to be completely honest…I struggled.

It felt like my mind and body were at war.

My body was saying, “Rest pleaseeeee” and my mind was reminding me of how deeply ingrained I apparently still am in hustle culture.

I’d love to say that choosing rest was easy, but that’d be a lie.

You’d think that after practicing rest for so long, choosing it freely would be like second nature.

And it’s getting easier…

But the struggle, and eventual clarity, was so significant that I had to share this with you.


⬇︎

I don’t know who this message is for, but having a good life doesn’t mean you never have bad days, weeks, or even seasons.

What I’m learning is that they’re a part of the process and they might exist for a deeper meaning, other than to be bad in nature.

Bad days exist to help us redirect.

Let me explain…

For a long time, I believed that bad days were punishment. Someone was mad…God was mad.
I did something wrong, stepped out of favor, and the bad day was visceral proof that I was no longer aligned.

So, you can imagine, the idea of resting and doing “nothing” didn’t fit.

If I’d misstepped, that’d mean action — specific, perfectly executed steps, were the only thing I could do to fall back in favor.

Have you ever thought this?
Life is good one moment and then “BAM!” it feels like one bad thing after the next.


And it doesn’t even have to be “bad”. It could be anything that was untimely, unfortunate, negative, anxiety or stress-inducing, and even overwhelming.

Imagine believing that these days exist because someone, or something, was punishing you.

It’s the perfect recipe for creating a person who chronically resists rest and is unable to sit in their blessings.

Because if someone is always watching, waiting to judge, then perfection becomes the standard.
And letting up is never acceptable.

Recently, I heard something that made me sit straight up in bed, and it has been the most freeing thing I didn’t know I needed.

It’s this idea that you are a part of the decision-making team for your life. And you have been equipped with a brain, life experiences, and an intuition that does not render you helpless — waiting to be saved or unable to move.

And here’s the best part: When operating in good faith, even if you make the wrong decision, there is no one waiting to punish you.

A split-second decision.
A decision made with the information you had at the time.
A decision after you’ve prayed, meditated, and been met with silence.

There is no one — who holds your life’s purpose, quiet dreams, and aspirations within their control — waiting to punish you for this.

When I was laid up, super sick, my mind was telling me that I was being lazy.

Who was going to accomplish my dreams if I’m in bed rewatching Scandal? The laundry is piling up. Work deadlines are rapidly approaching. Don’t forget about Ambyr Things. You need to post. What’s for dinner? Wessie and your hubby need you. Girl, get up!

Somewhere along the way, I started to believe it.

After all, wasn’t the reason I was sick and having consecutive bad days because I wasn’t working hard enough? Didn’t want the dream bad enough? Someone, somewhere was clearly unimpressed. Silence filled the void.


So, I got up.

I started folding laundry. Taking calls. Making plans. Working. Being busy.


And guess what? I got sicker.

As someone who previously prided herself on being impossible to outwork, this felt like a new low.

Have you ever felt like things were going wrong, no matter how hard you tried?

That’s exactly the space I was in.


The harder I worked, the sicker I got.


Finally, I got to a point of being so frustrated at the silence and exhaustion of my body that I literally threw my hands up. If I was going fast in one direction, this was the moment where I admitted that I needed to stop. I was not in control here. And I needed help.

So, I called the babysitter, closed my laptop, and got in the bath.
For 2 hours.

The clarity was waiting for me there.

A bath.
Guilt-free Netflixing in my robe.
Asking for help.
My hubby bringing me food in bed.
Lots of tea and sometimes, enjoying it outside barefoot and phone-free.
Regretfully cancelling plans.
Embracing softness. Inviting greater ease.

It seemed inconvenient at the time.
But that was exactly what it took.

Because it wasn’t about regaining favor, after all. The favor had never left.

I wasn’t in trouble and no one was punishing me.

And if God was indeed displeased, it could only be because after so much love, grace, provision, and favor — despite my right and wrong decisions — I still believed I needed to perform.

This message hit me so hard, and I’m tearing up now thinking about it.

The thought of a bad day, turned horrible week, being the catalyst to get me to the truth that I am loved beyond measure…is breathtaking.

We all are.

And the realization that every single moment of my good life, I’m living answered prayers — both mine and those that came before me, is the exact clarity that hugged me gently in that bath.

In case you needed a reminder, like I did:

Whatever is for you, is already yours.
Already predetermined. Already being aligned.

There is nothing you can do to will it to be. It already is.

Our work is to tend.

✨ The first thing I felt inspired to make once I started feeling like myself again.✨

To pay attention. To slow down. To notice what we’re sitting in, and to trust that if there’s redirection, it’s there to steer us towards what’s ours…

Even if it comes in the form of a bad day ♡


With Love,
Ambyr