Miserable Mondays to Manageable Mondays

I don't know about you, but Mondays are almost always a difficult day for me. During the week everything looks manageable and, on the weekends, I subconsciously manage to tuck my “to do” list away and forget about it. Then, Monday shows up, and down crumbles my optimistic attitude and my sense of control.

Stretching from desk to ceiling in an unending pile, papers wait, calling for my attention. The longer I stare at the mountainous stack, the more intimidating it becomes. Growing with each passing second, first paper by paper, then chunk by chunk, the work load increases in size faster than I can complete it. There is too much to do, and the harder I try to get everything done, the more I find still unfinished. In panic, I frantically try to fix all of the problems at the same time, only succeeding in setting myself up for frustration and defeat.

My focus is on myself, my problem, and my incapability. As long as my point of reference is myself, I am going to end up being discouraged. In despair, I will continue to try to change myself and to do everything in my own strength.

This hopeless process is not what God intended for me. God wants Christ to be my point of reference. When I truly realize that I have died to myself and that Christ, living in me, accomplishes everything for me, then I can tackle the tasks that I am called to do because it is not I, but really Christ working through me, as me.

When Christ is my point of reference, somehow the pile on my desk doesn’t look so overwhelming. I can take the projects one at a time, and He will work through me, as me, to get each job done. Since my focus is on God, I am free to trust Him. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and He will be sufficient in and through each aspect of my life.

I hope this has been a blessing to any of you who, like me, want to enjoy each day that God blesses us with, but have a hard time keeping our focus on Christ and His sufficiency when Monday morning shows up. With His grace, we can say, "Mondays — here I come!"

My Teapot’s Testimony

Etched with purple violets, a lovely teapot sits on a shelf in my room, waiting for the day when it will be filled with sweet, refreshing tea. Even though it cannot talk, my teapot is an example of my life in Christ. Beautiful in shape and design, it testifies of the pleasure of a life dedicated to my Lord’s service.

Specially crafted by expert hands, my little teapot is a tribute to its artist’s creativity. By being content with its design, it fulfills the special purpose which it was created for and does the job that no coffee pot, milk jug, or glass pitcher could do. In the same way, I have been beautifully designed by the most skillful Master Craftsman, my Heavenly Father. He has given me a purpose that only I can fulfill. As I continue to allow Him to make me into a vessel of honor, I am free to be content with how He made me and bring glory to His name.

Empty and alone, my teapot’s only value comes from its appearance which, although pleasing to the eye, eventually looses its appeal. When filled with tea, however, it brings joy to our taste buds and a warm, homey feeling that chases away weariness and sorrow. Similarly, when the abundance of God’s love fills me, life has purpose and meaning. In joyful obedience, I can sing of His praise and be a channel through which He pours out His blessing to others.

The once hot pot of tea sits cooled and unwanted on a trivet. Its delicious refreshment has lost the fervor and appeal that it had only a few short hours before. The only way to restore the tea to its original state is to place the pot back on the extreme heat of the stove burner. Like the teapot, the only way that I am able to be a continual blessing to God and to those around me is by remaining close to the Ultimate Source of my abundant life. As I patiently endure in the furnace of life’s challenges, my Creator purifies and restores me until the sweetness of His character bubbles forth.

My teapot and I have so much in common. The analogies are limitless. As I return home, my floral teapot will be a continual reminder to me of the many facets of my Christian life and the fulfillment that comes from living a life freely poured out for God’s glory.