It's Monday....Put on Your Boxing Gloves

Monday morning stream-of-consciousness:

It's monday morning... And it's raining... I didn't get to take Sophie for a walk this morning because of the stupid rain... I forgot my umbrella... I was going to sit outside this morning with Sophie and have a quiet time with the Lord... THAT didn't happen... Today is going to require extra coffee... Good coffee... Omygosh, why is there so much stuff on my desk this morning? And why are there 21 voicemails on my office phone? How is it monday all over again?

Deep breath, Sus, it's going to be okay.

That's just a glimpse into the scatterific world that is my brain on a morning like this. :)

So, after my deep inhale and exhale--i calm down and realize that i don't have to do Monday in my own strength. The Lord is with me. I reflect on my Sunday. How it was so perfectly what i needed. It was tailored to me in a way. It began with coffee and church. It continued with kickboxing. Which i am determined to make a new passion. (confession: I definitely was inspired to kickbox by watching "Enough" with Jennifer Lopez the other day on TV....it's the movie where her husband is crazy and tries to kill her--so she runs and runs throughout the movie until she decides to take self-defense/martial arts lessons and kicks his tail in the end. Yep. True story. Who knew JLo could be so influential. ha.) And then after kickboxing, my small group of women came to the house and we drank apple cider and studied The Fitting Room and had good discussions. I'm encouraged just by having them in my midst. Absolutely encouraged.

Anyway, back to the kickboxing. I practice kickboxing at a studio near my home. It's intense and quick but also quite gratifying.

kickboxing: (according to Wikipedia) refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate and western boxing. It is often practiced for self-defense, general fitness, or as a contact sport.

As i was making breakfast this morning, i caught a glimpse of my pink boxing gloves on the table. And i thought: those are kind of a metaphor for this stage in life. (I know, a deep thought for 7am.) Let me explain. Spiritually, at this stage in my life--heck even on a crazy monday morning--i must put on my figurative boxing gloves, stand up, and battle. Combat. When life is tough. When it's not what we expected. When we don't know what God is up to. When we get caught up in the craziness of the day to day. When our attention is being pulled in all kinds of different directions. We stand up. We fight. We keep going. Ephesians 6:11--Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. Yes. This is what i choose to do today. I choose to find my strength in Christ. Stand up. Find my gumption. Keep going. Fight through this stage of my life. Through the temptations--the stumbling blocks in my path--all of it. You see, i don't have to do this alone. Christ is with me. Always with me.

So. It's monday. Gloves on. It's going to be a good day. :)