Why does Monday have to follow Sunday?

The older I get, the more I wake up not knowing what day it is. That is particularly true on Mondays.

When I wake up on Monday morning, I often don’t remember what day it is. Monday is the kind of day that I can’t remember anything that I’ve done for the week because I haven’t done anything for the week yet. I often forget it’s the first day of the week.

Tuesday is not so bad because I can somehow remember the day, some of the things I did on Monday, and my plans for the rest of the week. But on Monday, I have to start the week all over again, and who has the energy to do that?

Often, I’ll wake up on Monday morning, look at The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, and say very soberly, “What day is it?”

Usually, she looks at me and says sarcastically, “I don’t know; check your calendar.”

By Wednesday, I will be in my regular work mode and get up every morning eager to start working on my weekly plans.

I need to be very careful along this line. For example, if The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage knew I got up on Monday morning not knowing what my plans were for the day, she may make those plans for me.

That’s one reason I need a calendar to schedule my plans for the week. It doesn’t matter if I finish all those plans or not. It only matters that The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage sees I have scheduled work for myself.

The problem is, Monday morning, when I get up, I’m not even sure what day it is, and there is a certain danger that The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage may come to my rescue.

After all these years, you would think I would have discovered a better way to plan my days.

I must say The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage has taken advantage of this weakness of mine. On a Monday morning, when I get up and shuffle out to the kitchen, she greets me by saying, “What plans do you have for today?”

At that time, I usually mumble and confess that I don’t know. Then she says, “That’s good because we need to go across town and pick up a few things.” Where she got the “we,” I don’t know.

Perhaps I could have some things on my “to-do list” that would occupy me for the whole day. Of course, even if I have such a list on Monday morning when I get up, I sometimes can’t even remember my name.

It will be a shocking Monday when I get up very lucid, remember my name, and have a plan for the day all in my head. I don’t think The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage would recognize me that day.

In all of my frustration, I was reminded of Philippians 4:6 – “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

My frustration only brings stress into my life. Each day, I need to discipline myself to give the elements of my life over to God. Only He can sort out my life in a way that glorifies Him. Learning to pray for everything solves my problems.

Dr. James L. Snyder lives in Ocala, Fla., with the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. He can be reached by phone at 1-352-216-3025, by e-mail at jamessnyder51@gmail.com, or online at jamessnyderministries.com.