I’ve noticed a trend recently that disturbs me.

As a youth minister, I use FaceBook a lot.  I connect with teens easier through that medium than almost any other.  But I see a trend developing, and has been for some time, that bothers me.

Lots of people hate Mondays.

Every week, I read some variation of how great someone’s weekend was and how much it stinks for it to be over and now they have to go back to work.

I really don’t understand this. I mean, I get the idea behind why people hate Monday.  The weekend is over, and it’s back to the grindstone.  But that is a philosophy I just can’t comprehend.

I love Mondays.  Most people can’t relate to that concept, I know.  But I don’t think even they know why.  So many people seem to dislike the first weekday so much that it seems like cultural peer-pressure to conform to Monday hatred.

I love Monday.  And I feel like I need to share why I do.

So, here are a few of the reasons why I love Monday:

1. I love my job. I do.  I am a youth minister.  I work with junior high and high school aged students.  And I absolutely love it.  Granted, Monday is typically a school day, and I don’t get to interact with teens much on a Monday.  But I work with a great team in the church office.  We get along well.  I get a lot of reading and writing done on Monday.  I have the flexibility to get done what I see the need to do, without a lot of job-related structure; my role is self-structured, and I work well in that kind of environment.  Really, I have the job of my dreams.  Why would I dread returning to that after the weekend?
2. I love the fact that Monday is the day after Sunday. Sunday is a day that is very fulfilling for me.  Here is my typical Sunday schedule.  I’m up and at the church usually by 7:00 am to pray with the rest of our staff.  By 8:00, we are rehearsing for morning worship; I play the bass guitar in our praise band.  Shortly after that is our Sunday School hour, when I teach the high school class.  That is followed by our worship service.  We have a very uplifting service, with solid biblical preaching, that focuses on Christ.  But in the process of giving our worship, we also get filled.After church is over, we head home and eat lunch.  The younger kids go down for a nap, as I do.  The older kids relax with a book or a game.  In the evening, we host a small group Bible study in our home with people who have become great friends who invest in my life as I invest in theirs.
    
   Really, Sunday is a very filling day.  I start the work week with gusto on Monday, because I’ve had an extremely fulfilling Sunday.  Why would I dread Monday with that level of energy?
3. Monday is a study day for me. I’m a book nerd.  I love to read and study.  Monday is a day filled with reading and studying, preparing for my Wednesday activities and lessons for the teens.  I could make a very strong argument that I’m happiest when I have a book in one hand, and a great cup of coffee in the other (home roasted, of course…  Never that cheap and stale stuff you can buy at the grocery store!).
4. Scripture tells me to rejoice on Monday. Psalm 118:24 states, This is the day which the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. I’m pretty sure that this applies to Mondays as well.  If God continues to bless me with another and another day, I think my best response is to try to live each of those days rejoicing in him.  I’m not always the best at accomplishing this, but I strive for it in my daily life.
5. We need to live in the present. This might be my best, and hardest reason, to not hate Monday.  I believe that it is essential that we live in the present moment as much as possible.  Of course, it is wise to plan ahead. But to focus on the coming weekend, or to regret the past weekend means that I’m not paying attention to today.  And that means that I’m probably going to miss something significant.  At least it’s a possibility.
    
   I can compare that to parents I know who look back to when their children were tiny, or look forward to the time when their children will be out of the current phase.  But by not being present in the moment, they miss some great opportunities with their children in the now.  The same thing holds true with the weekdays.  Today is Monday.  What is God going to do in my life today that I need to grab onto?  What might I miss if I’m focused on the past or the future?

Monday’s are a day that you can approach just like any other.  To fear or hate Monday is to miss out on so much that God has in store for your life.  My recommendation?  Take advantage of Monday.  Love it.  See what it has in store.  Learn to anticipate it.

And then do the same thing for Tuesday.

And Wednesday.

And…

How do you feel about Mondays?  Do you hate them or love them?  Do you need to change your viewpoint about Monday?  Leave your thoughts in the comments below.