Devotional Archives for Encouragement for Today
October 16, 2023
New Year’s Eve Excitement on a Monday Morning?
LORI SNYDER, COMPEL Training Member
Lee en español
“This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24 (ESV)
It’s Sunday evening. That dreadful feeling is already building in your mind and maybe even in your body. Whether the weekend was fun, relaxing or awful, you are dreading Monday.
It’s like this every … single … week. Yikes! That’s a lot of time spent not enjoying life.
I’ve felt this way before too. After a weekend with a relaxed schedule, it’s hard to get up early and go back to your routine on a Monday morning (unless, of course, you are a naturally early riser). But even if you are an early riser, there’s something about the weekend ending that makes Monday feel “blah.”
Yet Mondays are new beginnings, just like New Year’s Eve. Every New Year’s Eve, I feel a strong sense of starting over. Do you feel that too? I’m thankful for the opportunity to set goals once again, and I get excited to see what the Lord will do in the coming year. Usually, I ask Him to guide me in my endeavors and to help me to spend more time with Him. That feeling of starting over is especially sweet when the year I’m leaving behind was a challenging one. Why can’t we approach every week with that same sense of hope and anticipation?
No matter our circumstances — whether we’re working in an office, working at home with our kids, taking classes, or caring for an aging parent — there is purpose in each day. Every day there are people around us who need a smile and encouragement. Mondays are no different.
We are to shine our lights, as Matthew 5:14-16 instructs, just as brightly on Mondays as any other day:
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (NIV).
Every day is an opportunity to bless someone. There are days when I desperately need others, and there are days when others desperately need me.
God’s Word also reminds us in Psalm 118:24 that “this is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” … unless it’s a Monday. But wait — that last part is not what the verse says. Every day is a day the Lord has made! Maybe it will be a good day. Maybe it will be a difficult one. But don’t assume it’s going to be a bad day just because it’s called Monday.
The enemy likes to steal our joy and our time. In John 10:10, Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (NIV). Don’t let the thief steal your joy 52 Mondays a year. Over a lifetime, that can add up to thousands of days of not living the abundant life Jesus offers — simply because of dreading Mondays.
Instead, we can start each Monday with excitement! Let’s prepare for the week with thankful hearts, asking God to guide and renew us with that New Year’s Eve sense of hope every … single … week.
Dear Lord, we want to honor You every day, but some days we lose sight of Your blessings. Please guide and guard our hearts and minds so that we don’t miss out on what You have for us — or on how You want us to bless others. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
OUR FAVORITE THINGS
Pursue your writing dreams with this FREE webinar: “How To Effectively Tell Your Story” with Lysa TerKeurst — an exclusive Q&A from COMPEL Writers Training. Join us on October 17, 2023, at 3 p.m. ET to learn practical steps for what to write and how to write when you don't know where to start, applying specific techniques Lysa uses herself. This is the only chance to watch this webinar; click here to sign up so you don’t miss it!
ENGAGE
Today’s devotion writer, Lori Snyder, is a member of COMPEL Training. You can find writing tips, inspiration and community when you follow COMPEL on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
FOR DEEPER STUDY
Lamentations 3:22-23, “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (NIV).
Proverbs 4:23, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (NIV).
What’s one thing you can do on a Sunday evening to prepare your heart for a new week? What if you started a habit of encouraging co-workers and/or family members as they begin each new week? I’m sure it would boost your mood and theirs!
We’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments.
© 2023 by Lori Snyder. All rights reserved.