My mornings tend to be rushed. Mostly, they are rushed
because I try to squeeze too much activity into the allotted time. Always, there is so much to do and so little
time.
I know that the most important thing I can do with this time
is to pray, read the bible, and read my daily devotional. But this is the part of my morning that I
really have to be intentional about or it doesn’t get done.
Here’s the problem. Reading and quiet thinking first thing
just doesn’t work for me. I will fall right back to sleep (it has happened many
times).
I have learned that I need some sort of physical activity
(even if it’s just emptying the dishwasher) to wake me up. While the coffee is
doing its thing, I get busy with work involving the computer keyboard or
handwriting.
So here’s my solution.
My early morning solitude ends when others in my household wake. I usually try to
end the work I am doing so that I have 20 minutes of quiet time to read, pray, and think before anyone else wakes. At that
point, I am wide awake and the danger of falling back to sleep has passed.
So what do I read during that time? The bible, of course,
but I also enjoy using a daily devotional.
I recently finished Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts Devotional
(I have been through it three times already). The other devotional I’m
using is Streams in the Desert
which is a 365 day devotional.
(I have been through it three times already). The other devotional I’m
using is Streams in the Desert
which is a 365 day devotional.
Often, I will reread the morning’s devotion as part of my
bedtime routine. It’s amazing how I often see things that I missed when I read
through a second time.
I’ve had to work at finding time to be still. I keep making
adjustments until I find what works for me. What works for you?
