January 4, 2016 (Monday)
There will be no special holidays this week, the first time in quite a while that we’ve been able to say that. Today is the first day of the first “normal” work week since mid-December, although the entire period between Thanksgiving and the New Year is unique. Now we are settling down to a routine.
We won’t be eating fancy foods until we can get our bodies adjusted to our ordinary diets. We won’t be agonizing over which gifts for whom, or which relatives are sure to be offended because of schedules that don’t allow unlimited visitation to everyone.
Whatever your ordinary Monday has always been, it is that today. Settle down, enjoy the day and “whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10 NIV).
You may still be “uptight” because of holiday stress, but it’s good to “simmer down.”
As we get under way with a new year, we probably make a few resolutions, so may I suggest this one: “Stop and smell the flowers along the way.”
“Stop and smell the flowers” is a saying that is really not related to flowers at all. It is a reminder, a message, for each of us, to stop rushing, stop working late, time passes quickly. Stop and enjoy the day, the moment and the minute. Each minute that you miss, is time lost and will not return to you again. (WikiHow).
It’s a good idea to start each day by thanking the Lord for a new day. We can approach it with a Scripture verse in our heart: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-8 NIV).