Monday, February 24, 2014

Monday Blues {a guest post by Alisha Lambert}

It was certainly a Manic Monday in my neck of the woods so I am super thankful to have this Guest Post to share with you guys today from my sweet friend Alisha!  I think it will make your Monday just a little bit brighter!


Monday Blues

One Sunday, not long ago, I felt God's presences so strongly it was almost as if he was sitting right beside me the entire day. 


He showered me with love that morning at church and the words from the song How He Loves Us rang loud in my heart. Especially the part that says "I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way that he loves us."



Things just kept getting better as the day progressed. I went to my church small group and was introduced to the book Jesus Is ___________________. by Judah Smith. When I got home that night, I immediately started reading. I could NOT put the book down! As if I couldn't feel any more joy at that moment in time, the words I was reading seemed to jump right off the page and straight into my heart. 

That night, I went to bed feeling loved. Probably more loved than I ever had. 

The next morning I woke up and excitedly picked up the book again with the full expectation that God would fill my cup to the brim with blessings like he had the day before. 

But that didn't happen.

Before I could finish the first page, I was completely distracted by a million different thoughts racing through my head. 

"It's Monday morning - I really don't want to go to work today. I have so much to do... Wait, Alisha, focus!"

My to-do list slowly consumed my thoughts and I gave up on reading all together. I started to doubt my ability to get everything done, which led to doubting my appearance, my friendships, and my sanity. 




Negative thoughts filled the rest of my day and I drifted to a dream land. A land where I had the perfect job, the perfect family, the perfect body, and I never worried about anything. 

My constant comparison and could've-should've-would've attitude sent my anxiety through the roof and I started shutting down. I might not have displayed my internal issues publicly, but I was only a few hours into work and had already chalked it up to a bad day and I wasn't moving away from that idea any time soon. 

When I got home that night I attempted reading again. I wanted so badly for God to pull me out of the slump I'd fallen into. 

And there it was. 

"Some of us sing songs every Sunday about how good and powerful God is. We tell him we surrender our lives to him. Then we go to work on Monday and strive and stress as if it all depended on us. We make life about ourselves: about pleasing ourselves, about accomplishing our goals, about making things happen in our strength. It's a subtle, unspoken switch that flips in our minds from Sunday to Monday, but the results are plain: worry, depression, fear, anxiety, pride, anger, impatience, envy, bitterness, slander, confusion, and tension."

Sometimes God stops me dead in my tracks, grabs my face, and says: "hey, I'm here. I've been here the entire time and I won't leave you," and this was one of those moments. 


There are many, many times when I forget the point of life. The imaginary list of all the things I'm supposed to do, be, and accomplish takes precedence over what really matters: Jesus. 

For the first time all day, I could read each word on the page with clarity, peace, and understanding.

"Once Jesus is the focal point - once he is the culmination of life and the pinnacle of our existence - everything else makes sense. Life becomes simple again. Priorities fall into place, and peace, joy, and rest return."

Jesus is the point. 



Alisha Lambert is a recent Western Carolina University graduate who lives in Bryson City, NC.  She loves being outdoors and can be found snapping pictures of the beauty around her, spending time at a local coffee shops or sharing her amazing singing voice.  During her time at WCU she was president of her sorority and has a passion for empowering women.  What is most beautiful about my friend is her heart for people and the way she strives to point others to Christ!  I am still in awe that she likes to hang out with an old gal like me!  My life is blessed by her and I think yours will be too.  She shares her thoughts on life over at her blog Pondering Reality.

1 comment:

  1. Just what the Great Physician ordered for me today, right here, right mow!

    ReplyDelete

 
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