Why Mondays are tough

Growing up in an environment where church was always a priority, Sundays were some of the busiest days of the week for.  I usually stayed up way too late on Saturday nights which made getting up on Sunday morning all the more difficult.  I'm convinced that my body was hardwired to be sleepy all day on Sunday.  Add to that a Sunday lunch which was usually excessive, a Sunday evening service that was usually followed by another meal that was too big, and by the time Sunday night rolled around I was pooped.  Monday mornings were even tougher to wake up for since the weekend ended much busier than the week before.

Now that I am in ministry my Sundays have been even tougher at times.  As one who doesn't preach every weekend, I don't often have to deal with that "holy hangover" that happens to pastors who preach multiples times over the weekend, but I can still be pretty tuckered out by Sunday night.  This past Sunday was no exception.  I enjoyed a full morning of church followed by an all-day youth golf tournament and then a big cookout afterward that functioned as a "going away" party with my students and adults volunteers, all making the day long and tiring both physically and emotionally.  Getting your kids into bed at 11:00 on a Sunday night is not the best parenting advice I can give.

So Mondays are tough.  Whether it's trying to drag my two oldest kids out of bed to get them ready for school or simply trying to motivate myself after a trying weekend, Mondays seem to deserve the stigma that they've earned.  Last Sunday I preached at my church in the morning and then another church later that night, and when Monday rolled around it was all I could do to get out of bed.  I literally felt washed out all day.  This coming Sunday will my last morning with my church family, followed by a big luncheon and hundreds of hugs and slaps on the back, and then I will be heading out to preach at another church later that night.  I think I'll try to be in bed by 7:00 the night before.

I write all of that to say that being worn out on Monday mornings, while tough to deal with, is not necessarily a bad thing.  When we gather with the saints for worship on Sunday it is a time where we express to God our absolute and desperate love for Him.  That can be tiring and draining.  If we simply sit on the pew and expect for God to do something for us, then the only thing that might be fatigued is our fannies.  Every day is a day to be lived for the utmost of the glory of God, yet it is powerful and special when God's people gather together for a day of worship, study, prayer, and fellowship.  I will gladly entertain a thousand washed-out Mondays if it means that God has gotten my all on Sunday.