"Oh my God, He will not delay
My refuge and strength always.
I will not fear, His promise is true
My God will come through always, always!"
That's the chorus of the song "Always" by Kristian Stanfill. We sang that song tonight to close out our communion service at Del Sol Church East. It was a significant moment for me because of the day and who I was standing next to as I sang.
You see, I was standing next to my dad on the day of his last cancer treatment.
When my dad was first diagnosed with cancer last fall, I was in shock and disbelief for days. Cancer was what I had feared for years and now it has become a reality. It seemed so unreal, so big, so scary, and everything seemed so unsure. There were lots of tests and lots of waiting. And after one test, everything came tumbling down.
At first one of the tests seemed to indicate that the cancer had spread to my dad's bone, which would have made for a terrible prognosis. They had to verify and we had to wait. That was probably the worst two weeks of my life up to this point. Thankfully it ended up being that the cancer had not spread, and though it was serious it was also curable.
In those two weeks I learned what it really means to trust God. I learned about how to claim God's peace that passes all understanding. And through this whole process I learned more about faith.
Now today, with my dad having finished his treatment, we wait again. We wait to see if it took. We wait to see if the cancer has been eradicated.
We wait in faith, knowing "my God will come through always."
Always.
Mondays get a lot of hate. I don't know anybody who says "Monday is my favorite day of the week". Maybe there are people out there who like Mondays, but I've yet to meet any of them. No, most people I know detest Mondays and make sure everyone knows about it by moping around or whining about it on Facebook.
But why? Why do we treat Mondays as if they are a hassle and a bother? They're not really the end of the weekend - Sundays are. Mondays are actually the BEGINNING of a new week! Mondays are a great day to start fresh, to change, to do something new.
Now before you go thinking "Ariel, that's easy for you to say", understand that Mondays are always really difficult days for me, especially since weekends are a time of intense work for me, not a time to kick back and relax like most other people. For me, Mondays are the day when I am most physically, spiritually, and emotionally drained. I should hate Mondays in a special way - but I don't.
Instead, I embrace Mondays. I celebrate Mondays. Why? Because of one reminder from Scripture:
This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad today!
- Psalm 118:24 CEV
Mondays are a day to celebrate and be glad! Mondays are a day to thank God for bringing you through the previous week and giving you a new week to laugh, to love, to enjoy music, to take in our beautiful Southwest sunsets, to eat meat, to sing along to your favorite songs, to watch your favorite TV shows, to connect with friends online and in person.
Mondays are a day to remember that God didn't have to give you and I another day to live, but He did. We should thank our gracious God for Mondays and glorify Him by making the most out of the wonderful gift of Monday.
