Monday Morning Mercies

It's a new day... new week... new mercies.

{Feeling inspired this morning.}

The stress of school will come to an end (in 16 days, to be exact).
Preparations for Panama will come together (65 days to go).
Working hard to raise a team of monthly supporters for when I join staff with Cru in August (too many days to start a countdown).

Often, the things we worry about today will work themselves out if we just work hard and wait it out. Three weeks from today, I will be done with school, no matter how well I do on my remaining assignments. It's probably going to be a crazy three weeks, but after that point I will be done!

Prioritizing means that you choose what to focus on now... what is urgent AND important. Some of those priorities may change everyday.

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23

So thankful for this truth that sustains my soul. Each day there is a new refreshment of Jesus' love that fills me up so that I don't have to be consumed by the worries of the world.

Also thankful that my life & identity are not defined by my failures. Everyday there are missed opportunities or ways that I should have responded differently or burdens heaped on and carried, rather than released.

Finding joy in knowing that there is a bigger picture... even if I don't know exactly what that is. I can still have confidence that there IS a plan. :)

Monday mornings can be hard. If you've been on facebook yet today - or really, any social media - you probably saw someone's post about experiencing the Monday morning blues. It's hard to wake up early. Hard to go back to work or school. It's hard to think about the demands that come with starting a new week. That is all true, but it doesn't have to effect us so drastically if we choose to change our perspective and not take any day for granted. You can enjoy Monday just as much as you enjoy Friday... or at least, see purpose in it. ;-)

Far too often I hear myself say that I need to just "make it through" a day; how many missed opportunities have I had to be a blessing or learn from an experience because I had that attitude?

EACH day brings new opportunities.

We have the choice to either embrace or ignore them.

What will you choose today?