Grace United Church of Christ

Pastor’s Corner—July 2008

 “The Monday Morning Blues”

Do you have the ‘Monday Morning Blues?’  For many people this starts sometime on Sunday afternoon when they think about going back to work or facing their long list of chores.  The idea of facing the stress, work, and aggravation of the everyday routine seems overwhelming and painful.  If thinking about Monday morning begins on the weekend, it can seem to cut short one’s time off from work.  After all, if one fills their mind with anxiety about work, it can feel as if one already is there.

The ‘Monday Morning Blues’ can feel more painful in the midst of summer.  In the winter, we expect to be spending most of the time working.  We often think of the summer as a time of vacation and leisure.  Facing Monday morning reminds us that we are not independently wealthy.  Or, if we do not have to work or we are retired, it can remind us that we volunteered to put ourselves in a situation that is just like working.  In many workplaces, people do not experience the ‘Monday Morning Blues’ alone.  Misery loves company.  Other coworkers have been known to come into work with this bad attitude only feeding the disagreeable attitude that others already have and reaffirm their thoughts that Monday morning should be a time to feel blue.

Can faith do anything to help us deal with the ‘Monday Morning Blues?’  If you are asking if God will help you win the lottery or to kill off your rich uncle so that you might be able to inherit his wealth and independence from work, most likely not.  At the same time, faith can help us to face any stressful event.

‘Monday Morning Blues’ are just another form of imagining the future and obsessing about the challenges and responsibilities that we will face there.  We picture ourselves on that Monday morning feeling unhappy because we will have to work and deal with problems.  Of course, we do not have to feel unhappy.  Even Monday morning can have their positive experiences.  A person can find something positive in almost any experience.  For example, are you happy now?  I do not mean are you happy thinking about Monday morning.  You may not be overjoyed about imagining yourself in that future time.  But, must you picture yourself already experiencing tomorrow when it is not tomorrow?  What about right this minute?  Tomorrow is not happening right now.  You are imaging it.  Try directing your thoughts to the present.  Notice that in this present moment you are breathing.  Feel the air coming in and leaving your lungs.  Listen to your heart beating.  This is the breath of God living in you.  Your heart beat is like God’s love pulsating through your body.  You are alive and God has given you life. 

 

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