Boy is it Monday – sore, tired and don’t want to go to work.  Well, maybe it’s not that I don’t want to go to work, but it’s that I don’t want to go where I’m going.  Walking in, I’m faced with smiling faces and there’s a part of me that wonders if they are truly that happy or if they are putting on a good face…the old grin and bear it philosophy.

The journey to my cube, desk, cell (whatever you want to call it), takes me past a particular gentleman – a friend and brother in Christ. I stopped to say good morning and see how his weekend went.   As he turns, I can see a joy on his face.  My first question to him was, “So are you ready for the fun and games today?”  He responded by saying that fun may be a stretch of the truth, but he is ready for the day and what it has to offer.

I questioned him on that statement and his response was, “This is where God has put me today.  Clearly He wants me here for some purpose, so I’m excited to see what He (God) wants me to accomplish.”  With that sentence, my friend gave me an unarguable position, and while I’m not quite ready to accept it, (I mean, I took the time to tie the millstone on and drag it this far, I can’t give that up without some kind of a fight, right?), I can at least consider his position.

Well, I thanked him for the uplifting approach, shared that I’d need to ponder it a bit, and proceeded on to my station.  As I walked, I began to come to grips with his statement and his philosophy. You see, God establishes a path for each of us, and through our decisions and the decisions of others, our path winds and turns – goes up and down, can be covered with ice, or sometimes surrounded by the flowers in the prairie.

With each step along the path, God puts opportunities to strengthen our faith, to strengthen the faith of others or introduce Jesus Christ to someone who’s not ever been introduced to Him or His teachings. 1 Corinthians 1:9 can give us perspective as to our role each day. It reads, “God is faithful, and you were called by him to partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

While it’s easy to surround ourselves with despair or dread, if you look at each step, each day, as an opportunity to be a servant of God and a partner with Christ Jesus, how can we not be excited?