I write a lot about my morning routines and how much actually having them has improved my life.
Sure, getting up at 4:15-4:30 every morning (except on the weekends, unless my body magically wakes up at that time) is tough sometimes because it is just so much easier to lay in bed all nice and warm…but I get up anyway. I don’t ever regret it. Ever.
It is just like working out…there has never been one that I have regretted AFTER I have actually done it. It is the “getting there” part that I struggle with sometimes.
My morning routine consists of me rising and making myself a cup of amazing coffee. I sit in my chair and I have all of my books and my journals next to me on the table so they are easy to access whenever I want to.
Then I sit, by myself, and just think, read, pray, journal, think of the things – specific things – that I am grateful for. I do this for a good hour.
Then I go to the bathroom (ha ha you just got TMI). This is real life, people. Real life.
Then I work out for an hour-ish before I take my shower and get ready for the day that is in front of me. I don’t get to work until 9am.
So…before I even go to work, I have been up and productive for almost 5 hours.
Today, I am going to hone in a little on the first hour of the morning…the time for prayer and meditation and what that does.
Spending time with God as part of my morning routine.
Simply put, this is the best hour of my entire day. It is the most important. It is the most powerful.
Spending time to think about gratitude, how God is working in my life, reading His word and meditating about whatever is on my heart that morning is the most paramount part of the day.
My mind is cleared, my heart opens. Thoughts unscrambled. I am ready to hear what You have to say to me, God.
Thinking of things I am grateful for – specific things – has, in turn, made me even MORE grateful for the beautiful life that I lead. It is really cool how that works: The more grateful you are, the more you realize just how many things you have to be grateful for.
Sometimes I love what He puts on my heart. Sometimes He tells me something that I don’t necessarily want to hear about a change I need to make or something that I should do. I pray for people, I pray to be a light in the world, I pray for direction. I pray that He show me the true hearts of the people in my life. Sometimes I don’t love what He reveals…and that is OK. I have learned that when a door is shutting for me, there is something so much better in store.
Spending this precious hour clears the day ahead of me. It removes obstacles I thought I had and helps to put me on a straight path. This path might not necessarily be the one that I had intended, but that really doesn’t matter. I learned long ago that in the end, it is not up to me at all. So now I just go with it.
He gives me insights and glimpses of the life He wants me to lead.
And I listen.
This is something that I have struggled with in the past…the actual listening part. Even when I hear Him loud and clear, sometimes I don’t truly listen…and then I don’t take action either. I want to go my own way and on my own path because I know what I am doing. We know how that all turns out. I have definitely gotten so much better at the taking action part also. Even when I don’t want to (in my mind). I know His way is so much better.
My day starts peacefully and without all of the frazzle and rushing around. It is beautiful and I hope that I will continue to do this throughout all of the days of my life.
So much better than waking up at the last second and rushing to get ready for work. You should try it!
Jen
