Even on a Monday

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

It’s Monday. For me, Mondays seem to go hand-in-hand with bad moods. For many of us, we seem to automatically wake up irritated and annoyed by the early alarm, aggressive drivers, stressful work projects, and a weekend’s worth of dirty dishes and laundry. Although Monday may not be our favorite, we are still responsible for how we respond to it. 

Continually the Bible talks about the importance of rejoicing in the Lord. In fact, we are commanded to rejoice. Why? Because as believers, every single day boils down to displaying our love for God and others around us. We are to make an impact for the Kingdom of God, and rejoicing in the Lord points the lost world in the right direction, rather than reminding them of the enemy through complaints. Why on earth would anyone want to follow Jesus if His own people are grumpy, miserable, and complaining about things that aren’t really even that big of deal? Whether we like it or not, people are watching us. We have reason to be joyful no matter what! We have salvation, eternal hope, and grace upon grace upon grace. So why are we so upset about spilling our coffee on our shirt or catching the second red light in a row? Jesus deserves our joyful praise, no matter our circumstance.

Habakkuk 3:17-18 says this, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” 

To be completely transparent, I feel like that prayer for me would look more like this: "Though I am really behind on my to do list already and it isn’t even Tuesday, though I am waiting for you to answer an important prayer request that weighs heavy, though I am in the midst of stressful transition and a bittersweet move, though I would love some more financial security, yet I will praise you. I will be joyful because you have saved me.” 

What about you? What is your “though”? “Though my car is in the shop and I don’t know how I will be able to afford to fix it.” “Though I am in a job I feel is going nowhere.” "Though I am nervous about getting my results from the doctor today.” “Though my best friend is upset with me.” I don’t know what your “though” is. But I know what your “yet” can be. “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord!” “Yet I will thank you.” “Yet you are worthy of all my praise!”

There are real issues in this life to test our praise. There are circumstances we go through that cause pain we do not want to feel. There are also situations that we, truthfully, have no business getting upset about. Either way, whatever our “though" circumstances are today, let’s resolve to praise Him. Let’s obey the command of God to “Rejoice always". Let’s be happy today, because we have good reason to. God is in control of our “though” circumstances.

I have found a few practical ways that help me to become more joyful in my days:

Get in the Word. I cannot stress this enough and, to be quite honest, I could stop my little list right here and it would be complete. Jeremiah 15:16 says, “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name LORD God Almighty.” Do not believe the lie that you do not have the time to stop and get into Scripture, you can’t afford the repercussions of avoiding time with God in the Word. Take a minute, get alone, open your Bible, and ask Him to speak encouragement into your weary heart. Then receive it. 

Pay attention. When I look for God’s gifts - His goodness, and His grace - I find them because they are all around me. So often I keep myself from true joy simply because I do not look for anything else other than how things aren’t going my way. “The secret to joy is to keep seeking God where we doubt He is.” - Ann Voskamp. In the midst of the endless paperwork on your agenda today, He is in it. In a situation you have no idea how to work your way through, He will carry you. On aisle 4 as your 2 year old has the meltdown of the ages, He is there. Open your eyes to see the little things He is doing all around you because they add up. You end up seeing that He carried you through the day and even more joy overflows knowing you didn’t miss what He did for you today. 

Praise Him anyway. Hebrews 13 speaks of offering a “sacrifice of praise” to the Lord. A sacrifice costs something. It is easy to thank Him or sing to Him when you’re having a great day. It costs you something when you thank Him in the middle of your bad day. When you choose to praise Him in the midst of the mess - the overwhelmed feelings, the workload, the bad day – your heart realigns with what really matters: the Lord. As a child of the King, we always have reason to praise. 

Don’t forget about salvation. Don’t forget about what Jesus went through on the cross to actually enable true joy within you. Don’t forget about the miracle that happened inside of you whenever you first experienced forgiveness as you put your faith in Jesus. Don’t forget the joy salvation brings. Sin and a lack of humility have a way of numbing our joy sensors, but I’m reminded of David’s prayer after his sin with Bathsheba: “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit” (Psalm 51:12, ESV). In other words, David was crying out “Remind me Lord! Remind me of how great your salvation is and so I don’t give up!”

Give your joy away. Being loving to others automatically lifts your heart. You may not have time today to go to the homeless shelter and feed 1,000 people dinner, but you do have time to compliment someone. You have the time to give Scripture to a hurting friend, to send a text and genuinely ask someone how they are doing, or to make an extra phone call on your lunch break. You have the time to listen to the Holy Spirit and act upon what He says to do, because that is why we have any time in the first place. You’ll make time for what you care about, so start caring more about serving others and you will spend more time giving.

Our days are crazy, busy, and unpredictable. There are few constants that we can always rely on. One thing we have for sure, no matter what, is our faithful Savior. Today, let’s rest in that and fix our minds on the only true joy, Jesus. Whatever our “though” circumstances might be, God deserves our worship. So praise Him, thank Him, and find overwhelming joy in Him. We have so many reasons to rejoice, even on a Monday.

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him.” Psalm 28:7