Mondays
- Emily L Wilson
- Jan 10, 2017
- 8 min read
We all know that Monday might not be everybody's most favourite day of the week, but personally, I have learned to love Monday's!
Why?
There are a countless number of things that we should love about Monday's! Even though on Monday we have to return to our jobs, school, and return to our regular schedules, we shouldn't view them this way.
One of the things that God desires most from us is to have a thankful and grateful heart! This can be a tough thing for most of us to do, because we so often take things for granted daily. Without Jesus in my life, I had always been so blind to how many amazing things that there is in life! I used to be negative and always thinking the worst about everything, living in misery, and always complaining. And honestly, this is not the way that will enable us to have a joyful and thankful heart! This is where the enemy comes in, if God calls us to have a grateful heart full of thanksgiving, it is no doubt that the enemy will always try to fill us with misery, ungratefulness, and negative thoughts and feelings. The enemy has nothing good to offer, he does not care about our well being.
The bible tells us this in John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly".
Before Jesus had come into my heart, I was absolutely miserable, and could not find any reason to be grateful. That is why we need Jesus Christ in our lives, as our Saviour. We will always have a hard time achieving a grateful heart if we live apart from Him, it is by His mighty hand that we can receive the strength to always see the beauty in each day and to realize everything that there is to be thankful for. No matter how much we try, we will never be able to achieve this true heart of joy and thanksgiving because the enemy is constantly trying to steal our joy. We will never be able to rely on our own strength when it comes to seeing the absolute best in things.
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" 1 Peter 5:8-9
It is sad that each day that passes by, we have such a hard time to just pause and realize how blessed we really are, sadly our minds sometimes tend to focus only on the bad rather than the good. Have you ever heard of the saying 'enjoy the little things'?
That is exactly what we should do, but lets replace the word 'enjoy' with 'be thankful for' the little things. The pure joy that the Lord will place in your heart, if we allow Him, is unexplainable. He enables us to see things from a way that we have never seen them before! I never realized how much I had until He opened my eyes to these things. We overlook so many amazing things each day for example: the birds, look how God has made them all unique, their songs, their shape and colour, even the fact that He takes care of them each day! Be thankful for your bed, be thankful for your window, for your forks and spoons, be thankful for your parents, nature, clothing, God's word, fresh air, ten fingers and toes, for your heart beat, for your health, the list could go on and on!
Philippians 2:14 tells us to "Do all things without grumbling or disputing".
How often do we complain that we have nothing to wear, our hair doesn't look as good as yesterday, or there is nothing to eat? We have all said these things. God has shown me how terrible it is to complain. It is absolutely unmindful. Some people truly do not have any clothes to wear and do not have any food to eat. Is there any reason for us to be feeling ungrateful when someone else in the world is struggling and wishing that they had these things? We are so blessed more than we can imagine, if you woke up this morning, that is a reason to be grateful, if you have food in your cupboard, if you have a family, a home, necessities, and of course the main thing that we need to live, Jesus Christ. If we have God then we have all that we ever need! Even when things get tough and all we can think about is the wrong in our lives, just realize that the almighty God is on your side, right beside you. There is too much that we can be grateful for.
The reason that I really do love Mondays is because I put the negative thoughts and emotions toward it aside. The Lord has revealed this to me, that even though we may not feel like going to work or going back to school, we must put our fleshly desires aside. Colossians 3:23 tells us "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men". And Galatians 2:20 says "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me". Even though we may not feel like doing certain things, when we work unto and for the Lord, it makes those things possible. Did you know that it is actually a blessing from God that we have the ability to work? Many people would love to be working but maybe they have a health reason why they cannot or they cannot seem to find a job. We must put aside our selfish needs, and serve the Lord in all things. When we are doing it for the Lord, it makes it possible and much more enjoyable, do not let the enemy steal your joy. When God is our main focus during each day of the week, we will always have a purpose and a desire to do things that we never thought we could do on our own.
"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17
Instead of seeing Monday as a burden, we should see them as a fresh start, a new beginning. If you had a crumby week the week before, we can make this week better! Even though Monday might not be your favourite day, know that you woke up this morning. That is one of the biggest reasons to be grateful! God helps us to acknowledge that no matter what day of the week it is, it is still another day, another day that He has allowed us to live and receive another chance to serve Him more faithfully. Maybe last week you treated someone poorly or maybe you didn't do something to the best of your ability, the following week is always a perfect chance to try again!
There will always be some weeks better than the others, but when Jesus comes into our lives, He assures to give us comfort at all times. It is easy to trust God while things are okay, but true faith shows during the hard times. God tells us in Psalm 46:10 to “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth”!
I know it can be hard to remain thankful during hardships, but God promises us that if we trust in Him we will still have joy and peace in those times. Philippians 4:6 says "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God". When things get hard, it will never be possible for us to handle the pain and negative emotions that we may feel, if we do not have God. When we rely on the Lord's strength to get us through difficulties and the week, we will make it out okay! Do not let the enemy steal your joy, cling to the Lord when things get tough and you will be okay! Always focus on what is good, even in the middle of chaos.
"For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9
"Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning." Psalm 30:5
Yes, we will not always get all of the things that we think we 'need' or want, but the beauty of God is that He teaches us to be thankful for what we do have. The main reason that I love Monday's are because it is just like any other day, a new beginning, another chance to do the things that I didn't do that previous week. Most of all, because I woke up this morning. My heart is still beating, and yours is too. There are no reasons to complain when we realize how blessed we truly are, someone in the world is taking their last breath, but God has given us another day to wake up and another chance to make things right. That alone is one huge reason to give thanks to the Lord!
When Jesus Christ is your reason to live each and every day, each day becomes special. When we wake up each day with Jesus in our hearts, we have a reason to keep pushing forward, knowing our intent. We wake up everyday with a purpose and that is why God allowed you to wake up this morning. Each day is a chance that we can surrender our heart to the Lord, another day to make things right, another day to fix our mistakes, to turn from our evil ways. The Lord truly teaches us how to stop taking things for granted, and that alone, I am extremely grateful for. As the saying goes, we don't really realize what we have until it is gone. Let our goal be to diminish those words. Let us allow the all-powerful God to break through our walls, our blind eyes, and stiffened hearts so that we may see the amazing and good things in our lives. We can never achieve a true grateful heart if we do not have Jesus as our solid rock and foundation. When Jesus is the foundation of our joy, nothing can take it away from us. Appreciate everything that you have, because they are a blessing from the Lord. God is a god of new beginnings and of a new hope and joy, let Him transform your ungrateful heart to a heart full of joy.
"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord". Romans 8:38-39
"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever." Psalm 136:1
"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" 1 Thessalonians 5:18
"Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving" Colossians 4:2
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above" James 1:17
