Monday catches a lot of grief!
Just the other day, at the YMCA where I work, a member came in carrying his workout bag and his clothes for work. As he scanned in, with a bit of dread, he made the comment, “It sure seems like there are more Mondays than there are Fridays and Saturdays!”
He was followed soon by a regular swimmer who scanned in saying, “Back at it!”
And in between those two, when asked how he was doing, a racquetballer replied, “Pretty good for a Monday!”
Tony Tench
Later on, another person came back in, after just departing, saying, “It’s definitely a Monday. I forgot my cell phone.”
Yes, Monday takes it on the chin often enough.
That sentiment was codified in verse by the brother/sister duo The Carpenters back in 1971 when they sang, “Rainy days and Mondays always get me down” — a song that gave a glimpse into the stress fame and their entertainment regimen had placed on them.
So, yes, the “Mondays” of life can bring a lot of strain to our spirits as a new work week gets under way or as mounting societal struggles demand action in a new era or as the critics come for us.
And yet, there is another side to Monday that should encourage us.
When I was a pastor, I was glad to go into the office on Monday mornings. All the plans that went into a full day the Sunday before were accomplished and a full breath of fresh air could be taken in — a breath of creativity and assessment and thinking. The details of the coming week and weekend did not have to be fully fleshed-out yet on that Monday morning so thought processes could percolate and ministry plans could develop.
Monday was a day of promise because regardless of what had happened on Sunday, there was a full week ahead to see new possibilities unfold.
“Monday represents a call into God’s creative flow for a new week, a new season, a new resolve.”
I have been impressed with the Genesis account of creation where the completion of each day is marked by the phrase “evening and morning,” until we get to the seventh day. Not only do we encounter the resting of God, but we do not read “evening and morning” marking the end of sabbath. I take that open-endedness to mean God continues to create in and through us. And Monday represents a call into God’s creative flow for a new week, a new season, a new resolve.
Of course, it may be my personality but, while there are plenty of reasons to be down in “this world of trouble” (John 16:33), I actually enjoy the pace of Monday and the cover of a rainy day. As the rain falls and we are forced to change pace, there is time to reflect and re-center — some actual “be still and know” time is built right into the day when it rains. Monday lends itself for such time as well.
So, while there are times when it seems like there are “more Mondays than Fridays and Saturdays,” maybe that’s OK. Fridays and Saturdays bring their unique blessings to the pace of life but so do Mondays. As with the beginning of a work week, so with the beginning of any season, embracing a “Monday mindset” can keep us grounded.
As tough as it feels to get back to work after a workout at the gym.
As disheartening as a particular season makes us feel.
Whether or not our team won yesterday.
On Monday, we always can say with the Psalmist, “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” And if this is the day the Lord has made, even Monday, then we will see the Lord at work throughout the day leading us to plan, to act, to love, to re-center.
Tony Tench works with the Lakelands Region YMCA of South Carolina and is former pastor of First Baptist Church of Shelby, N.C. and interim pastor of Poplar Springs Baptist Church in Shelby. He and his wife, Janet, enjoy living near their daughter’s family and serving with them at NewSpring Church in Greenwood, S.C.