Annnddd… It’s Monday.
Before you pull a Garfield the Cat move by grabbing a big pan of lasagna, pulling the covers back over your head and muttering “I hate Mondays!” hang with me for just a second.
I’m not a big fan of Mondays either. I have grown to tolerate them, but honestly, what choice did I have? (Turns out employers are not super big supporters of employees who desire to boycott Mondays on a weekly basis. Just kidding.) I have learned to embrace Mondays (and every other day for that matter) because I seek to find new, fresh little cuts of joy in everything around me.
All throughout God’s word, we find reminders to REJOICE, no matter what our circumstances or what day of the week it is. I have discovered that my pup Sweet Justus is the exact opposite of Garfield that cat. (Although I am sure if I gave him a pan of lasagna, he would be thrilled. I guess we will never know…)
Justus, true to his puppy nature, finds joy in EVERYTHING. It doesn’t matter if I have left for 14 seconds to take out the trash, he is so overcome with joy when I come back from the house, he greets me like I am returning from a year long deployment. If I even say the word “treat,” his eyes perk up, tail wagging… Pure joy.
And last week, Justus rejoiced with me over accomplishing a simple, mundane task. We finally mowed our grass. Check out the video for the celebratory demonstration. (Sorry it’s not better quality… but it was very spur of the moment.)
[wpvideo ycqVM0bV]
I couldn’t help but laugh and get pure joy from my pup AND my freshly cut yard. What if we possessed an attitude like Justus to celebrate God’s little blessings everyday? Why don’t we do a happy dance every time we run the dishwasher? Or praise the Lord for an alarm clock that wakes us up to go to a job that provides income for our family? Or maybe we can rejoice in life’s challenges, no matter what it entails, because it gives us a chance to grow closer to God?
Rejoice today. Thank God for whatever technology you are using to read this. Give Jesus a figurative high five for allowing your car to start this morning. Match those seemingly hundreds of pairs of socks with joy knowing that you have clothes to wear.
Or perhaps you should go mow the grass… Then take a deep breath, smelling that new smell, and run around your yard (shouting and barking optional) to celebrate your FRESH CUT OF JOY.
Celebrating His Gifts,
SGK
“This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24
