Sunday came and went. You wanted to be jazzed up about worship but so many things got in the way. If your family is anything like mine, Sunday mornings are rarely calm and peaceful.

I’m typically the Planner. My role is to keep everyone on track, at least that’s what I tell myself. I bark out reminders about time and generally keep the trains moving. My specialty: the Countdown, that mystical journey from breakfast to actually getting in the car to go to Church. It usually goes like this:

20 minutes till we leave!
We have only 10 minutes left so get yourselves together!
That’s it! Why am I the only one who cares about getting to Mass on time?! (Notice the question mark AND the exclamation mark- nice.)

Sadly, my role as Planner too often leaves me frustrated and stressed. By the time we get to church, I need a break. If the homily is less than stellar, Sunday just seems to fall flat.

Can you relate?

Maybe you’re the Planner like me. You may also be the Pacifier, another title for the one who packages up snacks and sip cups for small kids. My wife, she’s the Calmer, an expert in “everything’s ok sweetie”. This is the perfect counterpart to my increasingly anxious point of view. Then there's the Commisioner. This role is summed up in various threats including but not limited to manual labor for the rest of the day or a suspension in privileges for an entire week.

So what to do if you face a Monday when Sunday was less than inspirational? Let’s face it- this happens a lot. Too many of our churches are mediocre or just limping along to meet the needs of the busy professional who faces a boatload of email, meetings and stressors come Monday.

take your faith with you into Monday and make a difference

Here are three suggestions for turning an average Sunday into an awesome Monday:

Be honest with your expectations. Did you put all of your faith eggs into the basket of your priest or minister? When he came up short, did you blame him? Instead of pointing the finger, be honest with yourself. Did you read the Gospel ahead of time and did you get up early in order to prepare yourself for worship? How much time and effort did you put into worship?

Resolve to have a quiet time first thing on Monday. This way, you’ll be sure to get your compass in order. I recommend Give Us This Day or Magnificat if you’re dialing in to the daily Mass readings. (Full disclosure: I write for Give Us so I’m biased.) Sharpen the pencil of your journal writing or go deep with a digital journal like Day One for iOS.
Greet the first person you meet at work as if they didn’t get to church on Sunday. You may be the only Christian they know, so get out there and act like it. So you’re preacher didn’t go for the gusto on Sunday. That doesn’t mean that you can’t take your faith with you into Monday and make a difference.

Whatever you decide to do after a flat Sunday, always remember that God is there on Monday just as much as He is on Sunday in a bright and happy church.

What can you do on Monday to make up for a flat Sunday?

Photo courtesy of EM