It was Monday.

And on this particular Monday, it felt like one. It was the kind of day you wish you could crawl back into bed, back into the weekend.

Instead, I was at the office. There was nothing particularly wrong with the office or life that day. Work wasn’t overwhelming, and my coworkers were some of the world’s loveliest people.

And yet, I had a strong case of the Mondays. I suspect it stemmed from the uncomfortable symptoms my body was undergoing. My stomach ached, and I had a general sense of I-don’t-feel-great-but-can’t-name-why. In my autoimmune state and in this fallen world, that nebulous feeling popped up sporadically. 

Paired with the extra Monday-y Monday feeling, I began wishing I could slink out the back door and transport myself to my bed.

Upon that daydream, I recalled the scripture I had so timely read that morning (God is so good like that).

“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22

I realized I had a choice. I could dwell on what hurt and where I wished I was, or I could get some positive thought waves rolling through my mind. I may not have been able to change my body, but I definitely could change my attitude. I could focus on the good swirling around me that day:

I loved my job.

I loved the people I worked with.

That very job was an answered prayer.

I had the sweetest husband on the planet. 

Said husband worked 7 minutes away, so we could meet for lunch.

The sun was shining.

Fur coats were in season — you gotta take the wins where you find ‘em!

This musing is in no way meant to minimize the physical ache and emotional longing for a healed body. Rather, it compliments the way God designed our body and mind to work — a joyful heart is good medicine. The joy inside of us has a real impact on our physical and mental health. Outlook, mindset, and attitude are everything. Truly, they have medicinal powers. 

I noticed how this verse doesn’t say “A pretending-to-be-happy heart is good medicine.” Or “A glossing-over-pain heart is good medicine.” Or “A stuffing-valid-emotions-down heart is good medicine.” 

Our pain must be felt, or it can lead to a slew of deeper health issues. But when we have a case of the Mondays, where nothing is critically destroying our day or health, we have a choice to make. 

A joyful heart or crushed spirit. 

Looking for the good or dwelling on the hard.

Delight or despair.

Even if we don’t feel joyful, we can seek out delight and goodness. We can be grateful for what we do have, what is going well, and where we see God’s hand so personally tending to us. 

There is no perfect way to suffer (at least, we can’t achieve it). There is no quick fix for the pain we feel as we encounter brokenness. But there are choices we can make—even just within our minds—to help us move toward healing, embrace our Heavenly Father, and truly live this one life we were given. 

So what’s it going to be? A joyful heart or crushed spirit? Delight or despair? Here’s to cheerful, hopeful hearts even when things are hard. xo