I Hope You Have the Day You Deserve
A rookie EMT once told me something at shift change that I still think about.
We were passing off the truck, doing the normal end-of-shift routine. I was heading one direction, she was heading another, and before she left she said:
“I hope you have the day you deserve.”
I remember thinking…
What kind of dorky crap is that?
To be fair, she was a little dorky.
But apparently the joke was on me, because years later I still remember it.
And the older I get, the more I realize there might be a whole sermon hiding inside that sentence.
I hope you have the day you deserve.
Not necessarily the day you want.
Not the day you think you're owed.
The day you deserve.
That'll make you think.
WHAT ARE YOU SOWING?
First responders know how easy it is to have a bad day.
Bad calls. Bad partners. Bad leadership. Mandatory overtime. Broken equipment. A station full of drama. Three calls after midnight. The patient who called 911 at 0300 for something that started six weeks ago.
And, naturally, dispatch's favorite phrase:
“Are you available?”
Sometimes the day legitimately kicks your ass.
But sometimes?
Sometimes we're the problem.
We show up pissed off and wonder why everybody around us has an attitude.
We complain nonstop and wonder why the station feels miserable.
We put zero effort into our relationships and wonder why they feel distant.
We neglect our health and wonder why we feel terrible.
We spend everything we make and wonder why we're always stressed about money.
We stop learning, stop training, stop pushing ourselves—and then complain that we're stuck.
We carry the worst parts of the job home and give them to the people who had absolutely nothing to do with creating them.
Then we wake up the next morning and blame the world because life doesn't feel very good.
Eventually, you've got to ask yourself:
What am I planting every day?
Because Scripture puts it pretty plainly:
“A man reaps what he sows.”
— Galatians 6:7
That's not just a church verse.
That's life.
YOU CAN'T PLANT BITTERNESS AND EXPECT PEACE
You can't sow bitterness and expect joy.
You can't sow laziness and expect success.
You can't sow anger and expect healthy relationships.
You can't sow selfishness and expect loyalty.
You can't sow gossip and expect trust.
You can't sow excuses and expect growth.
You can't treat people like garbage for twelve hours and expect everyone to celebrate when you walk through the door.
And you sure as hell can't continually pour poison into your own mind and wonder why everything around you starts tasting bitter.
Eventually, the harvest comes.
That's the uncomfortable part of “I hope you have the day you deserve.”
Because it forces us to look in the mirror.
THE BAD CALL DOESN'T GET TO DECIDE WHO YOU BECOME
Now, don't misunderstand me.
I've spent enough years around EMS to know that some things happen to us that we absolutely do not deserve.
The dead kid.
The suicide.
The wreck you can't unsee.
The family screaming in the hallway.
The partner who gets hurt.
The call where you did everything right and still lost.
The things first responders carry aren't always the result of something we planted.
Sometimes life just hurts.
Jesus never promised us an easy road. In fact, He told us the opposite:
“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
— John 16:33
Faith isn't believing bad things won't happen.
Faith is believing the bad things don't get the final word.
The call doesn't get to decide who you become.
The divorce doesn't.
The financial disaster doesn't.
The betrayal doesn't.
The failure doesn't.
The mistake you made ten years ago doesn't.
Your worst shift doesn't.
God does.
And tomorrow morning, you get another opportunity to decide what you're going to plant.
CHECK YOUR LOADOUT
Before a shift, we check everything.
Monitor.
Airway bag.
Oxygen.
Meds.
Fuel.
Radios.
Gear.
Coffee.
Definitely coffee.
We make sure we're equipped for whatever the day might throw at us.
But when's the last time you checked yourself?
What are you carrying onto the truck?
What are you carrying into the station?
What are you carrying into your house?
Anger?
Pride?
Jealousy?
Resentment?
Fear?
Or are you bringing patience?
Discipline?
Humility?
Integrity?
Faith?
Grace?
Because everybody around you eventually gets exposed to whatever you're carrying.
Your partner does.
Your crew does.
Your patients do.
Your spouse does.
Your kids do.
Your coworkers do.
You do.
THE DAILY GRIND
That's really what the daily grind is.
It's not one heroic moment.
It's thousands of ordinary decisions nobody applauds.
Getting out of bed when you don't feel like it.
Showing up.
Doing the right thing when nobody is watching.
Treating the frequent flyer with dignity even though you're exhausted.
Helping the rookie instead of humiliating them.
Owning your mistakes.
Apologizing when you're wrong.
Calling your parents.
Being present with your kids.
Loving your spouse.
Taking care of your body.
Opening your Bible.
Praying when life feels completely sideways.
Giving somebody grace when they probably don't deserve it.
Because here's another uncomfortable truth:
None of us actually want God to give us exactly what we deserve.
That's the entire point of grace.
Romans 3:23 reminds us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Christianity isn't about standing around proudly saying, “Look what I've earned.”
It's looking at the cross and realizing:
Thank God I didn't get what I earned.
We received grace.
And people who have received grace should become pretty damn good at giving it.
SO HAVE THE DAY YOU DESERVE.
Maybe that rookie EMT accidentally gave me one of the better pieces of advice I've heard.
Or maybe she knew exactly what she was saying.
Either way, I've never forgotten it.
I hope you have the day you deserve.
But maybe I'd change it slightly today.
I hope you have the day you're willing to build.
I hope you plant something worth harvesting.
I hope you encourage somebody instead of tearing them down.
I hope you train the rookie.
I hope you check on the veteran who's gotten a little too quiet.
I hope you forgive somebody.
I hope you call home.
I hope you pray.
I hope you laugh around the station table.
I hope you drink really good coffee.
I hope you leave somebody's life a little better than you found it.
And when the day doesn't go the way you deserve—when life hits harder than it should—I hope you remember that your story isn't finished.
Because tomorrow, God willing, you'll wake up again.
You'll put your boots on.
You'll grab your coffee.
You'll walk back into the grind.
And you'll get another chance to decide what you're going to sow.
So go plant something worth harvesting.
Stay safe. Take care of each other. And I'll see you tomorrow in The Daily Grind.
— Matt
Heroes Rise Coffee Company
Roasting for Those Who Serve.