Monday in a Friday world

Yes, it's Monday. You can see how much The Little One enjoys Mondays. Yes, Mondays follow the day that she gets tons of attention at church, gets to be held for a majority of the day, and most importantly...gets her nap schedule completely messed up. Mondays roll around and I think we both sometimes just want to pull the blanket up over our heads and sleep until Tuesday!

How many times do we as adults feel that way about Mondays? After enjoying a weekend spending time with our families, enjoying the weather, not having to be up early to head to work, no deadlines for work or a boss breathing down your neck, how many times does Monday come and you dread getting out of bed?  The tone of posts I see from friends on Facebook are different on Monday compared to Friday.  On Monday I see a lot of "Ugh, back to work." "Monday, please be nice to me." or "Don't make me go back to work!" Today I'm in agreement with The Little One because we've been Daddy-less this weekend while he traveled to Washington, D.C. and I'm ready to have someone else change a few diapers, wash bottles and entertain TLO! (If only  I could have someone else do all that and I could still get all the smiles and snuggles!)

But all of this talk about Mondays being so bad got me thinking (yikes!) As Christians we are called to be different, and not conform to the patterns of the world (Romans 12:2). We are called to be a light to the world (Matthew 5:14). If the world despises Mondays, we should delight in the fact that we have been blessed with another beautiful day and another week to make a difference. If Mondays are dark and dreary, we are to be a light to our co-workers, offering a smile, a helping hand and a positive attitude.

The next time you think negatively about your Monday, try "renewing your mind" as Paul suggested (Rom 12:12). Don't conform to what the world does! Rejoice in the day! Offer your praise to the One who created you and created this day! Offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the One who gave His life so you could have the hope you enjoy!

And I thank God that this is the face I get to see most of the week! I prayed for a child who needed me and look at the beautiful face the Lord placed in my life!

Thank you God for the beautiful Monday you have given us! I know we often complain about Mondays, but how can it be a bad day when we had the opportunity to have our spirits renewed in worship and praise yesterday?! Please help me to renew my mind and look forward to Mondays as much as I do Fridays. And thank you Lord for the beautiful blessing in my life who reminds of these lessons! Amen.

Grumbling and Growling

Today I've been listening to The Little One (TLO) playing and in the middle of her playing where she seems completely content there are spontaneous eruptions of grumbling and growling.  (Yes, literal growling. It's one of the noises she does best!)  She grumbles and growls and then continues playing, rolling side to side, back to tummy and toy to toy. One toy in the mouth, another in the hand, more being kicked with her feet. Yes, she's content...ish. It can be very frustrating when she's only contentish.  I want to get down, look her in the eyes and ask her "how can you not be happy with all these toys? You have nice clothes, a clean diaper, musical toys, cuddly toys, chewable toys and more.  So why aren't you happy?" Yes, I realize the stupidity in trying to rationalize with a 6 month old, that's why the words were never said outloud!  :)   But then I looked around the living room and around our house and had to ask myself similar questions. "How can YOU not be happy with all your stuff? You have nice clothes, a nice house, plenty of food, a good job and a beautiful family. So why aren't you happy?" Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy with my life. I have so many more blessings than I ever could have imagined. And I like to think that I'm content. But then I remember how often I've wished I could have new clothes, or the new carpet I'm longing for (so "TLO" will stop rubbing her face in the old carpet!), the new decorations I want for the walls, new this and new that. Maybe I'm not content?


I can't  help but think of the Israelities as they were led away from Egypt and were provided with freedom, safety, food and drink. They were a free people now but they grumbled. So if I feel this frustration with TLO and her grumbling and growling, I can't even begin to imagine the frustration my God feels when He looks at all He has blessed me with and I still say I want more. 


I prayed for this tiny child and the reminder she has now given me of my blessings, and the Lord granted what I asked of Him.

Thank you God, for the blessings you have given me. So many blessings, I can't even begin to put them in a list or name them. Thank you for entrusting me with the life of this little child and for the lesson she has reminded me of today. I'm sure this is only one of many lessons she will have for me through the next several years. Thank you for remembering us and continuing to bless us even when we grumble and growl about out lives, our circumstances and our problems. And thank you Father for the gift of Your Son who had the ultimate reason to grumble and yet still gave His life for the sake of other complainers like me. Thank You God. Amen.