An ode to Thursday

"Life should be a little nuts. Otherwise it's just a bunch of Thursdays strung together."

A profound sentence from an otherwise-forgettable movie by Kevin Costner ("Rumor Has It," 2005).

Thursday has a humdrum quality to it. Just about everybody works on Thursday. There are no popular songs or restaurants called "Thank God it's Thursday." Friday, by contrast, is potentially exciting. Friday gives entree to the weekend when most, but not all, are enjoying a life away from their jobs.

The Bible has little truck with the days of the week, with one notable exception found in the life of Jesus: crucifixion on Friday, resurrection on Sunday.

We have no idea what day creation started, for example. Since there was no sun as yet, there would be no way to tell time, ergo no Thursday. Nor any other day of the week.

Post-creation, though, we might have these ponderments:

We don't know if it was Thursday when Moses happened upon the burning bush.

We don't know if it was Thursday when Jonah was swallowed by a big fish.

We don't know if it was Thursday when Paul was knocked off his horse and was confronted by a voice -- a voice he believed to be that of Christ.

Important days all. But scripture has little concern with specificity when it comes to the day or month; whether or not it was morning, afternoon or evening; whether it was sunny or rainy. These details are, from a biblical point of view, extraneous.

I rise, however, in praise of Thursday and other non-weekend days. Great things can happen on such days.

Three people I really wanted to hire said they would come work for me on the very same day in 2009. In my memory, it was a Thursday.

A physician told us a beloved family member's cancer had not spread, filling us with inestimable relief. A Wednesday.

A church board told a man in his late 50s he was their choice to be their next pastor. A Tuesday.

In every day of the week, we are exposed to awful things in the world. Natural catastrophes, unspeakable violence, tragic occurrences that have no respect, nor care, for which day of the week they might happen.

We must be aware of the bad and act as instruments of reconciliation and healing where and when we can.

But that awareness can exist alongside living a confident, thankful, grateful life: "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" (Philippians 4:8). I have taped these words to my desktop computer -- so I cannot miss them as the internet continually shows me stories and images that are somewhat less inspiring.

So, with apologies to Kevin Costner, great things are possible no matter what day it is, even Thursday, if our minds are in the right place.

The Psalmist has the coda to this column: "This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24).