Good Morning

I’m a morning person. I wasn’t always this way, but somewhere in the time frame of having a baby, I decided I would be a morning person.

I guess I have a routine that was never designed or thought through, but developed through many years:
I wake up . . .
put on socks . . .
comb my hair . . .
and then Tinker Bell, our little dog, and I tiptoe down the stairs so as not to wake the whole house because we like to be alone for a bit before others wake. I push a button on the coffeemaker and Tinker Bell and I walk outside around the back yard and patio to see what’s up. I give her a treat and by then the coffee is ready. 

So, if you ask me to not have coffee one morning (as well as all the other parts of this routine), I’m like “no way—this is what I do, every day.”  

Habits are really foundational to our lives. What I mean is, habits keep my feet on the ground. I’m grounded in the “good” routines of my life, like sleeping and eating healthy foods (at least sometimes), not leaving the house in my pajamas and yes, brushing my teeth. 

However, there are other habits I’m becoming aware of that are not so good for me. For instance, how I react to fear and anger and anxiety. I learned how to respond from parents, friends, TV and life in general. There are reasons why I react the way I do to trouble.

I’ve mentioned before that I go to a little gym to work out. Recently, as I was thinking about these things, I walked into the gym and there on the wall was a quote: “If you want to change your life, you have to change your habits.” Wow, God was talking to me through that gym wall sign. 

 So, with that in mind, here are a few things I want to train myself to do:

• When I have my cup of coffee in the morning, I want to pray a simple prayer that says, “Holy Spirit, I was made for your presence. I want to live in your presence all through this day.” In that little prayer, I’m reminding myself to pay attention to everything in the day and notice when I see Him.
• I want to stop and think before I speak, and ask, “Where are my feelings coming from? And is that the way I should respond as a true follower of Jesus?” I want to keep watch over my heart because from that, comes the essence of life—good life.

I’m reading two books that are shaping these thoughts: The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction by Justin Earley and The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God by Dallas Willard.

 Willard says this: “The most important thing in your life is not what you do but who you become. That is what you take into eternity.”

Now that’s a good morning.