Good Morning
It is a rare day that I begin it with Jesus. Though, let's face it I really should. But I love to sleep. Who's with me? I tend to make excuses for my need for sleep.
I have terrible insomnia, so I should get to sleep longer since I was up later. I have two kids, I have to get as much sleep to prepare. But in all seriousness, these are the same types of excuses we use to prevent ourselves from working out, eating healthier, going to the dentist, or getting the flu shot. We know we ought to but it's just so difficult.
Don't get me wrong, I still get up about 6:30 every morning because that's when my brood wakes. But hear me loud and clear when I say I am not happy about this. How different the trajectory of my day would be if I just sprinkled my first cup of coffee with a lot of Jesus. Essentially, many of us use coffee as a way to wake-up and start the day. We forget that we don't have to follow our own understandings of the world but that we can solely trust in God with our day. Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths." How awesome is that.
When I spend even just a little bit of time committed to the Lord when I rise and before the boys are up and at 'em I feel more refreshed and I remember His mercy. I remember that I don't have to walk this day alone and that while troubles will find me, even in the protective bubble of my home, I can rest in His assurance. "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness," Lamentations 3:22-23.
Even if you can't find it in your self-motivation to rise before your kids or when you absolutely have to be up to make it to work on time you can still grab 10 minutes with Jesus while you sip your coffee. If you really put thought into your morning routine, you know you have one, you could dig up 10 minutes to be still in His presence.
For me, stillness sometimes looks like journaling my thoughts and prayer requests. Sometimes it's just praying for my day and those around me. Sometimes it involves actually reading and studying His word. Spending time with the Lord does not have to have rules. The reason we should all do it is to gain a little perspective for our day. This place is not our home. We are here to spread the Good News as far as our voices will reach.
I think that sometimes the Lord lays on my heart words to share with others only because He really knows it's what I need to hear. Well, God, I'm listening. You want me. You want me devoted and yearning to spend time. You want me to want you. While we are running to God in our struggles and our moments of fear we could be contemplating how different our fears and struggles might be had we been holding fast to God's truth even in the good times.
Every day is a struggle. Every day. But no day is guaranteed. Don't waste your time pretending you don't have the time to be with your creator. When you don't know how long you have left you want to spend every moment you can with the one who loves you the most.
