Most people know that I am disabled retired. So, Mondays shouldn't be a problem...right? It's not just the Monday factor that requires the black coffee and lots of it. It's "the rest of the world" that prompts my need for coffee. Wake up and get moving is an element for a lot of people's lives. Mine is no different. The "dread" of the next 5 days doesn't really sit on me like a heavy load. I've had many people tell me that that's how their lives seem during the work week. While they (and I) have had fun and relaxation from Friday evening to Monday morning; Monday still came and we still have to wake up and address the day. Black coffee helps. More specifically, caffeine, is what we seek. Some little extra built into our morning drink that gives us that spark to where we can open our eyes and get going. This ritual isn't in danger of going away so we might as well try to embrace the ritual of Monday morning from a more positive position. What's so different about Mondays?
For most of my life I've worked a 40+ hour week. During that span of my life I've worked different shifts, different days off, different jobs and often have outside commitments as well. "Monday" isn't relegated to just one day of the week after Sunday anymore than the "weekend" isn't relegated to the time between Friday night and Monday morning. The Christian finds themselves under the compulsion to honor Sunday as a day of worship. Many who work Sundays worship on Saturday night or not at all. Sometimes I've gone to church and fallen asleep in the pew. Okay, quite a number of times! We come to the weekend with a sense of "I've earned the weekend." when that's not Biblical at all. God instructs us to "rest" one day of the week. Growing up on a large farm in the Midwest there was never a "weekend" attitude, expectation or reality. Work was from early morning (chores, milk cows, go out to the field) until late into the night (chores, milk cows, come in from the field). Often during the summer we would work well into the night and be back home closer to 9 or 10 for supper. That's a late dinner for city folk. We weren't a church going family but did take advantage of Sunday off. Wait! There were still chores and the cows still needed to be milked!
Entitlements like weekends off wasn't even in my vocabulary until I left active military service. However, they did enter into my civilian life to some degree. After 7 more years of military reserve duty I was able to free up that final weekend of time. However, at that time I was working shift work, weekends, and holidays as part of my employment. As I transitioned through vocations I finished my studies and became a pastor. Yep! Working Sundays were accented by working Wednesday nights and whenever the needs of the congregation came up. By now I had probably imbibed at least an oil tanker worth of coffee over the years. There was a span of my life when I did work a "normal" job and have Friday evening to Monday morning off. Three years of relative stable everyday scheduling like most of my peers. The vocations I have be in have all made it very clear that work is service to someone, some entity; but more importantly to God. Working for God is a lot like being a veteran in that you always have your "military duty" on even after you end your service.
My family and children (especially) have felt the impact of "Monday" being at different times and different days of the week. They all have adjusted to life fairly well. Most of them drink coffee. It's a little something I role modeled to them! They face "Monday morning" just like everyone else; though on different time and day schedules. They embrace their weekend and get up "Monday" morning and go off to school, work or wherever. Somewhere along the line life has become a chance to live life to the fullest rather than to dread going to be somewhere, do something and accomplish tasks. Life has become a service to others whether in employment, volunteering, parenting, being a disabled retired spouse or wherever you find yourself. The Word encourages us to work as "unto the Lord." That means we work for Him and he allows us to do so. It's Him that causes our bosses to cut us a pay check and to have days off from work. It's Him that allows us to organize our days off and do as we please. God created coffee beans for a reason! I take my coffee black, hot and lots of it. God takes my efforts and uses them for his good pleasure. Can life get any better?
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