The first day of school came like a drill sergeant, forcing me out of bed and into my day, barking a long list of orders. No more sleeping in, and no more lingering mornings … No ma’am.
It was time to hit the ground running.
Get out of bed. Wake up the kids. Make breakfast. Pack lunches and a “healthy” snack. Where’s your water bottle? Are your backpacks ready? Did you brush your teeth? Get dressed. Everybody, get in the car. Go. Go. Go.
All 0f that and I forgot to make my coffee.
{Whew. Even mommas have to find their way into a new routine.}
When schedules return, they come fast and furious. And if I’m not careful, I can get caught up in the whirlwind of my day and forget all about my need for Jesus.
What happened to a little quiet time with Him before I start my day?
Yesterday, on our first day of school, I missed it, and by the end of the day, I was missing Him. So, in hopes of cheering us all on towards choosing God at the start of our day, I give you:
That’s right. No matter how much time you have in the mornings, here are a few tips to start each day with Jesus …
Less Time
Face to the Floor – Before you get up, go down. On your knees. Face to the floor. In an act of submission, give Jesus your day. Tell Him how much you need Him and ask Him to lead. You don’t have to have the right words, just the right heart: one bent low in submission to the Giver of all good things. {We’ve talked about this before, remember?}
Coffee and Devotions – Place your favorite daily devotional right where you go to begin your day: next to the coffee pot. As you wait for your little glimpse of heaven in a mug to brew, drink down a few words of grace first.
Shower Talk – {One friend said …} In the shower in the morning, as you wash away yesterday, tell the Lord that you choose to empty yourself of all of you. Then, ask Him to fill you up with His Spirit and the grace to do His will. What a great visual!
Scripture in the shower – Oh yes, another shower tip! Take laminated note cards to the shower with you and practice them as you wash. (Or, just put your note cards in a zip-lock baggie for a quick water-resistant way to memorize.)
Clothe yourself while you clothe yourself: After writing the study, The Wardrobe of Christ, I’ll never get dressed the same way again. If you don’t want to leave your house spiritually naked, you’d be wise to learn what you need to put on each day. Learn more here.
Worship while you dress – Play your favorite worship music in the background as you are getting dressed. Such a simple, yet effective way to focus your heart and mind for the day.
Utilize dry time – Use those otherwise wasted long minutes drying your hair to set your mind on things above. Hair dying is another great time to practice scripture memory or read through a Psalm or Proverb of the day. Leave a Bible on your bathroom counter or post a few sticky notes on your mirror to keep the Word right in front of you.
Pray as you make lunches – {Another friend said …} As you fill up lunch boxes and water bottles, talk to the Father. Thank Him for your daily bread and ask Him for new food (from His Word, spoken or read) to chew on that day.
Pray on the way – Utilize your quiet drive time with a little one-on-one conversation. When else can you talk out loud to the Father without anyone else hearing a word?
Car-time worship – If you have a long commute and you’ve already chatted it up with Jesus, finish your drive with some of your favorite worship music or a podcast from one of your favorite teachers.
Leave your Bible open – If you’re staying at home but can’t sit down to read, leave your Bible open to a particular verse in the room that you run through the most. This is one way to sneak some quick Word time in here and there so that you can chew on it as you go.
More Time
Prayer walk/run – {One friend said …} Slip out early and enjoy the dark, quiet hours of the morning to walk/run and pray. There’s nothing like pounding the pavement while you pour out your heart to the Savior. {So they say 🙂 }
Structured prayer time – Using ACTS as a guide, spend some quality time with God in prayer. {Adoration – Praise God for who He is – your Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer, Confession – Agree with God in the ways you’ve sinned, Thanksgiving – Thank God for every good and precious gift He’s given you, Supplication – Pray for others.}
Journaling – In a special notebook for your eyes only, write down your conversations with God. Writing allows us to retrace God’s faithfulness and work out our faith by hand. Sometimes putting pen to paper is the best way to flush out the soul.
Bible study time – Get a group of friends together to work through a study and/or pick a book for an independent study. Either way, nothing keeps me in the Word consistently like going through a great Bible study, and mornings are my favorite time to dig in. {If you’re looking for an in-depth study loaded with practical application, check out this one.}
Lectio Divina – This is not a method of Bible study. It’s a practice of “divine reading”. Lectio Divina is a way of reading that refuses to be reduced to just reading but teaches you to listen, respond and live the text. It is comprised of four elements:
- READ – Lectio {Select a small passage of scripture. Ask God to speak to you as you read, then work through the passage slowly. Now that you are familiar with the text, read it a second time, this time looking for a word or phrase that jumps out at you. Don’t choose this yourself. Let the Spirit bring it to you.}
- REFLECT – Meditatio {Read the passage one more time, but this time focus on the word or phrase that stood out to you. Think about what God might be trying to say to you through the text.}
- RESPOND (Pray) – Oratio {Talk to God about what He revealed to you. Ask Him how He wants you to respond to Him today.}
- REST – Contemplatio {Sit and rest in God’s presence. Enjoy His companionship and thank Him for speaking to you through His Word.}
Savor the silence – Effective solitude is intentional time alone with ourselves and with God without noise or distractions. It’s allowing ourselves to get past all the voices in our head so that we can hear God’s quiet whisper. Choosing regular times of silence and solitude takes discipline, but with it comes great reward.
I hope this little list will inspire you to go about your mornings with Jesus.
He’ll always be the best part of your day.
Whether more time or less time, how do you start your mornings off right?
Melissa Deming says
Wow! so many great tips! Thanks Carrie!
geeLAi says
Hi Mrs. Rogers.. nice blog here.. glad you gave me this link… lovin' the tips..
Carrie Rogers says
Hey GeeLai. Thanks for saying hello. Hope you come back around again 🙂 Have a great day!