Monday morning.
The words cause a strong reaction for many of us.
"I hate Mondays more than any other school day" said one of my kids this morning.
I'm sure there are a lot of reasons why we feel this way.
Mondays mean the beginning of five days back to someone else's schedule. We lose a lot of control over what we do and who we're with.
But I think for some of us, something more is happening.
I think that on the weekend, we got a taste of something better, something different, something meaningful. And then Monday comes and we feel like strangers in the Monday-Friday world.
In his 1st
Letter, Peter writes "to God's elect, stragners in the world, scattered throughout..."
(1:1). That kind of reminds me of us
today. Yesterday we were all in church. Today we're "scattered
throughout"
In the next chapter, Peter uses the same image again: "Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world to abstain from sinful desires which war against your soul."
Much of this letter is reminding the readers that their citizenship is somewhere else. That means our priorities will often seem at odds with others where we work or go to school or where we live.
Maybe this morning when you woke up, looking in the mirror at your Monday morning hair and smelling your Monday morning breath, you felt like an alien or a stranger.
That's ok.
Know that you're not alone. Know that this isn't the end for you. It's a step along the way to where God is leading you. And know that God is able to meet you today, right where you are reading this. And know too that God has a special place in His heart for aliens and strangers.
Grace & peace