Ever had a day that was so bad you just wanted to hit the re-set button? Ever feel like telling God, "You couldn't possibly understand what I'm going through down here"?

The irony is, he can.  The writer of Hebrews tells us "Jesus was tempted in every way just as we are."* And we see him going through a really bad day a week before his execution.** He shows up in Jerusalem knowing the end is near, but when he arrives at the temple, it's too late. So the next day, he wakes up hungry and hopes there's a fig on a nearby fig tree. But it's not fig season, so he curses the tree.

Who knows what emotions are roiling around in Jesus, but when we see him next, probably still hungry and definitely annoyed, Ralph Nader-like, he's picking a fight with the local merchants in the temple. There they are minding their own businesses, and before you know it, Jesus is on a one-man rampage. Not a chapter from "How to Win Friends & Influence People."

So, yes, God knows what it's like to have a bad day. And for me at least, somehow, it helps to know that not only did he put skin on, but he lived within its limits. Have I expected more of children than they had in them? Have I exasperated them with my expectations? Well, Jesus expected more of the fig tree than it could deliver and reacted irrationally. His hunger fueled his frustration, which in turn found its outlet in the poor, inanimate tree.

Have you ever let your rage fuel behavior that others found surprising?  Whatever you did, Jesus probably created an even bigger scene with the money changers (in church for goodness sakes!).

If life seems to be beating you down and you can't catch a break, it helps to know that God understands how you feel from the inside out. Knowing how you feel, he can ask you to give yourself the same grace he's already given you.

*Heb. 4:15
**Mark 11:12-16