"Just Another Manic Monday"

Just another manic Monday, are the lyrics to a pop song that was popular back in the 1980's or early 1990's. Mondays are hard for many people. It's the first day of the work week. I heard a report on a news radio station that more people have a heart attack on Monday more than any other day of week.

I have to admit that the Monday morning commute here in the Washington DC metro area is a monster and yesterday was no exception. As I drove to work, there was very heavy traffic on every street and road I traveled on. People do dangerous things while driving and often I pray so I get where I am going safely. 495 is one of the Beltways in the area and when I first moved here I drove on it daily and witnessed accidents (or at least the result of them) at least 3 times a week and was constantly stuck in back up traffic due to those accidents.

I travel mostly back roads now and do not see as many accidents, but yesterday there was a pretty bad one on the west bound lanes of Route 32 in Howard County. I knew something was wrong due to the number of motorist on the road and at the accident site drivers not involved in the accident almost created more accidents by jumping out of their lanes in to the left lanes cutting off their fellow drivers so they did not have to slow down or stop do to the accident. If you do not believe in miracles, if you witnessed some of the near misses I have, you would.

The drive in, like many mornings, was stressful, and due to the accident I was running a few minutes behind schedule for work. As I turned onto one of the last streets headed for my place of work, I passed by a construction site. Those of you in the Maryland/DC area know all to well about the ICC. The ICC is a huge project of creating this road that connects two or three counties and it is supposed to relief traffic volume in the area. The ICC is very controversial and the whole project has been in and our of court for over 30 years. Thousands of residents have lost property, and now everyone is dealing with construction sites all over the place, which, yes, creates even more traffic jams.

I pass a few of these construction sites to and from work, and yesterday as I passed the one on Layhill Road between Norbeck and Bel Pre roads I saw something that touched my heart and made me smile. I saw the construction workers, with their gear on, complete with yellow vests and yellow hard hats all in a circle. There were about 25 of them and it looked like they were praying. Some mornings if I am running behind schedule, I see them in this circle stretching, but yesterday, they looked like they were praying. If I was a painter I would paint this scene. It's about 7:00 am, the day is just getting started, and these men and women, who have a very dangerous job start their day off in a circle of prayer. It was a beautiful sight and it blessed me so much.

How do you start your day? If you think Mondays are hard, if you do not know how you will do all the things you have to do in an excellent way, then I recommend that you take at least 10-15 minutes and just pray. If you do not know how to pray, get your Bible turn to the book of Psalms and just read a Psalm aloud. I wish every organization started off their day like the men and women I see each morning. Many mornings I see them getting out of their cars as they arrive at their job site, but on my most difficult commuting mornings, I see them in their circle and seeing them reminds me that I am surrounded by the presence of my mighty Abba Father and so are you, you just may not be aware if it. Take the time and be aware of his presence, love, mercy, grace, protection, and love.

As you reflect on today's posting think about these verses and quotas below:

"Trust in Him at all times, you people: Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us." Psalm 62:8

"Faith that is sure of itself is not faith. Faith that is sure of God is the only faith there is." Oswald Chambers

"Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong." I Corinthians 16:3

"People do not so much lose their faith as cease to use their faith." Os Guinness