Manic Monday

The Bangles . . .Susanna Hoffs "Just another manic Monday; wish it was Sunday, 'cause that's my fun day; my I don't have to run day."
As have stated previously here, Monday is not always the best day of the week for those in my calling. It is usually a day that you wished you were a bookseller at B&N, or a golf pro somewhere, or something. But Mondays are a time to really draw near to the Lord, for the enemy is close at hand -- seeking to discourage anything great that may have happened yesterday. Sadly i see in folks a certain sadness, a lack of joy. Is it because they have lost a view of the purpose for which they were created, or haven't found it (or been found) to begin with? Why are we SO caught up in the things of the earth? Why don't we think on those things that are edifying and good and noble and lovely? Instead we focus so narrowly on what it is that upsets me today, and we dwell on it, and we chew on it like a piece of grisley meat, instead of just swallowing it or spitting it out and moving on. Why don't we seek to be at peace with all men, even it means getting our pride stepped on? Why don't we practice agape love? Why are we self-centered and self-loving? Why are we not consumed with God's mission and more consumed with my agenda? Why are we disobedient to Christ's COMMAND to love one another? Are we really children of God -- read and meditate on 1 John -- or children of the devil? If a person with no knowledge of Christ could listen to us, could read our thoughts, would they be drawn to Christ Jesus or would they be repelled from us and Christ? If this was our last day on earth (and certainly could be), if our next breath we breathed the air of heaven and werelooking Christ Jesus in the face, would He be pleased with our thoughts, with our actions, with the way we had spent the time He loaned to us? Do we make the MOST of every moment He grants us? What will we be remembered for -- by those who have no claim on our love -- not by our close family and circle of friends? Do we love the Lord our God with ALL of our heart, soul, mind and strength? Our neighbors as we love we ourselves? IS our aim and purpose in life to see HIM glorified and magnified all over the world?
These are just some things to consider as we close a Monday. May we consider them the next time we want to wallow in self-pity, the next time we want to get angry at a brother or sister, the next time we want to gripe, backbite, and gossip, the next time we want to sin and disobey our Father and God. We may not wake up, how shall we greet the morning?