Fighting the "Mondays"

Charis Corner: Stories of Grace in a Broken World

By Kari Mahara

JACK:

The alarm blares at 6:30 a.m. It’s Monday morning…again. The day flies by, full of meetings, phone calls, clients. Emergencies crop up like storm clouds during this muggy month of June. I find myself yanked around, finding missing files and on hold while my fingers scurry across the keyboard. Before I know it, five o’clock rolls around, and I try to untangle the mess that fills my email and spills across my desk. I head home, help with dinner, get the kids to bed, and procrastinate going to sleep. I lose myself in television shows and Bleacher Report on my phone, avoiding the dread seeping in.

Tomorrow morning, I’ll start it all again, and when I think about that, I wonder again what I’m doing. What’s the point? I hate the stress, the tedious demand of work and kids. There’s no relief, no break. And the truth is, everyone I know is doing the exact same thing.

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We look forward to the weekend, to vacation, to holidays. We put our eyes—our focus—on tomorrow, yearning for rest and peace, but it’s only temporary. Monday always comes, bringing back these same emotions and fear—that this is all there is.

Rudy and I had the opportunity to take our family on a Caribbean cruise with my father-in-law’s family. This experience was mind-blowing. Out there in the middle of the ocean, we’re not worried about Monday or work. There’s no internet, no cell service. You’re on a boat in the middle of the ocean with only God to trust, which for me was terrifying, as I have a phobia of drowning. There were waves, lots of them. So much so I had trouble climbing the ladder to my bed.

But the beauty was captivating. The stars filled the sky, constellations painting pictures and weaving stories. The white sand beach and vivid blue waters reminded us there is a whole other world out there. And as we pushed our kids in the stroller along the streets of Grand Cayman, we realized our lives weren’t so terrible.

But then Monday morning came again.

So what’s the solution? We all know the “right” answer. But what does it mean practically in our day-to-day life?

Every single day, God is working. Do you know what He’s doing? Have you even asked? We focus so closely on ourselves, we miss the exquisite workings of God in our lives, in our world. That 5-5-5 time isn’t another demand on your time, it’s a lifeline to all the strength, purpose, and peace we need to make it in this world. So when trouble comes, we can still praise Him, love Him, and trust He works all things for our good (Romans 8:28).

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.”

May--The REAL Enemy

Charis Corner: Stories of Grace in a Broken World

By Kari Mahara

This was a frustrating week. I thought I’d run a few errands before picking up my son from preschool. Instead, my day imploded. I shattered my back windshield, because I tried to shut the back with the lawn mower handle sticking out. Then my car shut down and wouldn’t start (apparently, it has an anti-theft setup).  So after sweeping up the cubed glass and removing my children (and carseats) from the car, my mother-in-law came in and saved the day. I thought, “Okay, this’ll work. My misfortune gave her the opportunity to serve and love me. Everything’s good now.”

I was wrong.

My husband didn’t get anywhere with the van company, so he decided to remove the starter (which he was certain—as was everyone else he consulted—the problem). After dark. You already know the outcome. Starter works fine. Once he disconnected the battery (and reconnected the starter), the van started up no problem.

Then the loaner car from my (amazing) mother-in-law broke down while my husband tried to run the kids out to my mom’s place. So he had to unload all the kids and carseats and move them to his Jeep. By the time he switched cars with me, he was in a foul mood. And then I find out, he didn’t listen to one word I said to him last night or this morning—he sent the kids to my mom’s in p.j.’s with no clothes.

Anger flowed hot through me. Irritation and frustration battled for control of my tongue. My mind swirled with all those thoughts wives and girlfriends want to tell their significant others. But I kept my mouth shut. And prayed. And reached out to my close friends, begging for prayer for calm and peace. One wonderful friend reminded me of Isaiah 26:3: “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”

It hit me. My husband is not the enemy. I’ll say it again. My husband is not the enemy. As much right as I have to be angry with him, he’s not the enemy. SATAN IS. Satan—with his “truths” that are really lies. With his manipulations. His emotion-pushing, sneaky-workings, and nasty-whispering. His goal is to isolate each of us, steal our joy, and snuff out our light. He knows if we withdraw from others, stuff down that anger and hurt, we’re easy to pick off. But when we stand together, pray for one another, and encourage one another in TRUTH, we become a bright light.

So when you encounter that whiney cashier, pushy coworker, and crazy (slow or fast) driver on the road, remember: they are not the enemy. SATAN is.

1 Peter 5:8-10: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

April--Beyond Doubt to Hope and Cheer

Charis Corner: Stories of Grace in a Broken World

By Kari Mahara

2 Corinthians 10:3-5: “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

Life is an ocean. Water surrounds me, stretching in all directions as far as I see.

Sometimes it’s calm. The blue water is smooth, beautiful. The sun rises in the east and sets in the rest, its vivid colors bursting from the horizon across the sky and rippling along the water. I’m at peace. I don’t need a life jacket or floating device. I float on my back, content in my circumstances.

But then the storms come. The tumultuous clouds block out the light of the sun or turn red as blood in warning of what is to come. Waves rise and fall, tossing me about, a mere leaf in the arms of a tornado. Fear flies in with the wind, choking me. What can I do? Who can help me? The words I AM resound in my mind. God can.

I call out, and He wraps His arms around me in an instant, a life jacket strapped to my chest. I cling to it and wait out the storm. But what happens when the storm passes? Do I continue clinging to the life jacket? Or do I relax, take it off, and toss it the side?

I’m in the middle of an ocean. Yet sometimes I forget the danger of my circumstances, lulled into security when the waves are calm. Then the sky darkens. The wind whips my hair. The waves crash into me, and I frantically reach for my life jacket again, swearing this time not to take it off.

Until the storms come again. This time, I pray for deliverance and know this will pass. Each time, I choke on salt water and feel bruised by the waves. I surrender control, but it’s not enough. My anxious thoughts swarm me again and again, haunting me with their half-truths and lies. The enemy taunts me.

But this time, I’ve had enough. This time, I turn my gaze to the Heavens and reach out my hands. Jesus walks to me on the water. He waits for me. I pull myself up onto the surface of the water and call out, “Enough!” I claim Jesus’s words as my own. “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

When the winds die down and the waves smooth into ripples, Jesus’s smiling face fills my sight. For once, I didn’t let Satan’s lies consume my mind, but instead I stood strong in Him and resisted the enemy.

Psalm 94:19 (NLT): “When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.”

March's edition

Charis Corner: Stories of Grace in a Broken World

Disney World. A magical place. Above you can see my kids meeting Elsa. This is the moment we’d waited for. Check out their reactions. Rudy D. is smiling and happy (and blinking). Ella is playing with her ear, because she’s recovering from a nasty cold. Addy is so focused on her Anna dress, she missed Elsa wrapping her arm around her. Not at all the picture I’d imagined, but not surprising when you have twin two-year-olds.

Isn’t this true of life? We look forward to vacation or date night or the weekend. We pour all of our excitement and hope into this time, missing everything happening along the way, and end up disappointed in the turnout. Sometimes it seems nothing can live up to our expectations or hopes. Other days, we feel like Alexander (and the Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day) where nothing goes right. So much anticipation. So much disappointment.

Thankfully, I didn’t let my feelings ruin the trip. When I started feeling this way, I turned to God, and He helped me see the good. Despite bloody noses (seriously, Rudy D. had four in 24 hours), little sleep, restless and crying children, 5 a.m. airport times, and aching muscles from carrying squirming children, we had so much joy. We only had one (half) day of rain, sunny skies, mostly low wait times, and hit most attractions we wanted. Best of all, none of our flights on the way home were delayed or cancelled.

One thing I learned was how important my attitude truly was. When I was excited…okay, smiling and skipping like a ten-year-old…so was everyone else around me. The twins and Rudy D. would cheer, “Woohoo!” and clap their hands. But when I started muttering, rolling my eyes, and snapping, the kids reciprocated my feelings. I realized how much our attitudes and reactions to life directly impact those around us and those watching. People were impressed how positive we were despite the handful of trouble we had with five children, aged five and younger.

Ephesians 5:8-9, 15-16: For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth).  Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”