Mondays are my day off. Therefore, unlike most, I look forward to Mondays. It's my chance to get things in order and arrange my world so that the rest of the week just might make a wee bit better sense. I always have these fantasies that by the end of a Monday afternoon I will have completely remodeled my house, written a book, completed an entire Bible Study, revamped my entire back yard, and lost 5 pounds. All in one day. Seriously. But then I get back to reality. I remind myself that Mondays allow me to plan, catch up, prepare and figure out things, and if all goes well, I just might be able to make a tiny dent in my universe, taking care of some issues that I've been putting off for way too long. So, I plan. Now, of course, even the best laid plans can be completely thwarted by Tuesday morning, even if they last that long. That list I made? Didn't get to half of it, and the other half has already been rearranged, revamped, or thrown out. Nevertheless, I will always be an advocate for Mondays. Not only is it my day off, but its the opportunity to start fresh, get things going, forget how I messed up last week, and try to do it a bit better this time around.
So, Sunday evening, as usual, I wrote things down on my notepad that would be good to take care of the next morning: things like 1) Make shopping list for Assimilation Team BBQ next Sunday; 2) Go to gym; 3) Buy a bush to replaced the one I murdered last month when I tried to transplant it; 4) Call the lawn-weed-killer-guys and threaten to end our association and never speak to them unless they get rid of the weeds in my back yard once and for all....blah, blah, blah. My list continued to grow through Monday morning. "I can do this" I say to myself. "Piece-o-cake!" I decide I'm going to approach this day like Tigger, as opposed to Eeyore. Instead of dreading or being overwhelmed by all that needed to be done, I was going to jump into my day, thankful that I am healthy, able and ready to take on any and all challenges and/or duties. This analogy was prompted by part of a sermon I heard from our Pastor on Sunday - suggesting we surround ourselves with inspiring "Tiggers", as Eeyore's can, well, really be a drag, ultimately sucking the very life out of us. So, you get the idea...
So Monday Morning I get up, spend some extra time with God in my reading and journaling, put on my workout clothes and tennis shoes, and bolt out the door to conquer the world (or at least my list). I get through a workout (or at least 3/4 of one) and then head off to Lowes to buy that bush and maybe a few flowers to spiffy up the yard for our upcoming BBQ. And it's hot. I mean really hot. Florida, August, mosquito, I-think-I've-dehydrated in this Lowe's parking lot trying to cram a bush and about 5 other large plants that I compulsively bought into the back of my Passat, kind of hot. All that to say, it was stinking hot out there!
So having knocked a couple things off my list, I climb into my driver's seat with the destination of home in mind. You know what? I should run through Sonic and get a couple bags of that awesome, amazing Sonic Ice. And while I'm at it, I should reward myself with a large Diet Doctor Pepper! I mean, I've really been good about cutting down on that stuff - referred to as "Satan's Syrup" by my healthy friends. I really have. One wouldn't hurt, I'm sure. I deserve it. I've worked hard and I've knocked two entire items off of my list!
So, I drive up, place my order in the really hard-to-hear speaker and pull up to get my reward. I roll down my window, pay the cute teenage girl, and hold out my arms for the two bags of ice, anticipating that drink that will follow soon thereafter. This cute little thing shoves the two large bags of ice, which are contained in a Sonic shopping bag, with all her might through the tiny drive-thru window, and at that very momet about 1/2 of a bag pours through my car window, down my shirt, down my back, and into my lap. How in the world did it get in all those places?! I looked up and saw this horrified little lady looking back at me as she awaited my response. And it's at that moment I realized...this. is. it. This is when I make the choice. Am I going to be Tigger or Eeyore? Am I going to recreate and strengthen those positive neurotransmitters in my brain, as Dr. Caroline Leaf has been telling me through her book, Switch on Your Brain, or am I going to reinforce those nasty, toxic, negative pathways? Am I going to yell at this cute little cashier like a crazy lunatic that has anger issues with her mother, or am I going to be joy-filled and Christ-like in my response? With great clarity, I knew it was my choice and I knew I could go either way. I knew I was actually the one in control of the situation, despite being out of control with the ice going everywhere.
It was then that a simple, yet profound, verse came to mind: "This is the day that the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24). I knew that even though the Lord makes each and every day (not just Mondays), I have to then make the choice of whether or not I will rejoice in it. He can't make me rejoice. He has actually put me in control of whether or not I will do this. It's all up to me. Which way was I going to go?
So I did the most practical thing....I burst out laughing. Really laughing. Like a crazy lady. Like I was on drugs or something. I told the young cashier, "Well, I guess I'm not hot any longer, am I?! This feels great!" The look on her face indicated that I had seriously lost it, and maybe I had. But what better way to loose it! Dr. Caroline Leaf, you're making a difference, lady! You are here on purpose, for a purpose! Keep doing what you're doing!
But more so than Dr. Leaf, I knew...Jesus is the only one that could give me or anyone else such an ability. He can fill us with joy on any day, at any time, in any circumstance - whether it's a silly bag of ice or something much more serious - death, depression, financial lack, hopelessness. The list could go on and on. With great certainty, I can declare that there is absolutely no situation that would or could scare Him or detour Him. Psalm 4:7 states: "You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound," which was really big stuff back in the day! The thing is...we have to take hold of it...JOY. We have to make the choice, are we going to receive the joy that He has for us? Are we going to participate in the way He sees everything and everyone that is around us? Are we going to have a Tigger or an Eeyore kind of day? Which way are we going to go?
I know, easier said than done, huh?. But regardless, we can do this. We can make the choice to be part of what He is doing in and around us. We can choose to experience the JOY that can only come from Him, which is impossible for us to conjure up ourselves. We can strengthen those neurotransmitters and neuropathways into channels of steel! I realize this may not seem deep, but it's really oh, so deep, as it affects how we see our world and how we see Jesus in our world. So I challenge all of us...let's think about this. Are we Tigger, or are we Eeyore?
I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Perhaps a story, thought, or even a challenge.