I have always liked the children's story Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. In the story a little boy named Alexander has an absolutely rotten day. The story relates all of the traumatic experiences Alexander faces: waking up with gum in his hair, finding no prize in his box of cereal, having no dessert at lunch, going to the dentist and having a cavity, having lima beans for dinner, getting soap in his eyes from his bath, and having his pet cat choose to sleep with his brother. And that was just one day!

We all feel as though we've had days like that. But how do we overcome the real difficulties in life? What help does our faith offer to us?

Perhaps the most telling part of the story found in today's biblical passage concerns the brief description provided for …