Monday blues, Monday madness, Monday traffic jam… we have often heard these adverse comments about Monday, but now it is official – Monday is the worst day of the week. Interestingly, on a Monday, the Guinness World Records announced that they are ‘officially giving Monday the record of the worst day of the week’.
Why are Mondays awful? Well, the answer is obvious. It’s the first day of our work week. After all, who wants to get back to work after a restful weekend? Or leave their lazy Saturday and Sunday behind for labour?
Could work be all that bad? The Book of Genesis opens on the first day with God at work.
From chaos, God brought order: The earth had no form, it was void and empty, and amid the nothingness, God brought order. He formed the earth and filled it. He created space, the heavens, and filled it with the moon and stars. God created the earth and filled it with animals, trees and plants. He made the sea and filled it with fish and all sea creatures. Work brings order.
From insipidness, God brought beauty: Amid the bottomless emptiness, God brought beauty. The starry host, the bright blue sky, the myriad of green trees and plants, the majestic mountains, the exuberant flowers, the royal animals and the sweet singing birds were all created by a creative God. We who are made in God’s image have the ability to bring in creativity to our work.
From pointlessness, God brought purpose: Everything God created has a purpose. The sun helps plants grow; the trees provide edible fruit, and everything God made has a purpose. We who are created by God have a purpose too. As His representatives, our mandate is to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and continue God’s work. There is a purpose behind work.
Genesis tells us that God worked for six days and rested on the seventh day. God always meant work to be meaningful, purposeful, and it is a part of His divine plan. However, after the entry of sin, work became strenuous. Sin changed the worker and the work.
How can we approach Mondays? By remembering that work is part of God’s divine plan and that it matters to God. We can be grateful for the opportunity to work, remembering those who are unemployed. We can be thankful for the unique skills and abilities that God has endowed us with to accomplish specific tasks. We can look at work not as drudgery but as an opportunity to glorify God. We can be joyful that it is Christ we serve, and we will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.
The Son of God, Jesus, worked too. He worked as a carpenter for his earthly father and finished the work of His Heavenly Father.
Instead of calling Mondays the worst day, maybe we should be calling them – Meaningful Mondays.
