Monday almost got us. It was day five babysitting our delightful one-year-old, Luna Sophia. Delightful, until she and eight-month-old Alex woke at 5 a.m. Wet sheets, crying, snot. You get the picture. Too much, before coffee. While I am an early riser, I prefer quiet, low-lighting, and no demands or conversation.
In our pre-coffee stupor, Hannah and I sat like two bumps on a log waiting for our brains to fire-up. We avoided eye contact with the babies gated into the living room.
That’s when I heard the LIAR, the Loud Imaginings Appearing Real. “I can’t do this. This is gonna be a bad day.” For weeks prior, that tug to give in to anxiety and whining was strong.
It’s easier to be cynical and grumpy~to give in to our darker side. But it keeps us hidden in half-living.
Do you ever get tired of digging deep? Of figuring out life and relationships and how to do them well? Of taking the high road when the low one says to settle? We all have those moments, days, weeks when the effort to live above our feelings seems too hard.
That’s where I was Monday morning with my thoughts wallowing in the mud of my old victim mindset. Then a moment of clarity broke through. Decades ago, a doctor told my dad, “You know, Mr. Bradshaw, each morning you choose your attitude for the day.”
So, I got stubborn and whispered, “God, help me.” I fought my attitude and my self-talk changed. “Own this day. They’re just helpless, smelly little humans. You can do this.”
I looked at Hannah. “We’re gonna own this Monday. It’s not gonna beat us. Let’s go get breakfast at Peppermill.” We wiped the babies’ butts and noses and restarted our day.
My friends, we won’t always feel strong. We won’t always feel capable. That’s okay. But remember we don’t have to live by feelings. We can live by faith in the One who made us. Because of Him, we have courage. And joy and patience and strength and kindness and self-control. We have all the compassion that Jesus demonstrates in the Gospels. We gotta dig deep even when we don’t feel it.
Let’s not throw away our days. When we go to bed tonight, let’s have the moxie to ask ourselves, “Did I really have a bad day or a bad five minutes that I milked all day?” (Paraphrased, unknown author.) A victim mindset does not fit a child of God. It doesn’t help to blame or complain. If we want a healthy mind and abundant life, we can’t listen to the LIAR, the enemy of our soul.
God says, “Don’t give up. I made you for more. Choose Me.” He’s here in the midst of all your gloomy Mondays.
Strength for your journey, my friends.
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