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| Source: goalcast.com |
This year, I have decided to become more intentional with the way I start my day.
In years past, I have always tried to pray and read my Bible before getting a start on my day. But for the past several months, I have added in some self-care and intellectual pursuits to my morning time routine that have nourished my soul, mind, and spirit in a fresh way. I'd love to share about that with you today.
Since my husband is usually off to work fairly early (around 6 am), he helps me to get up and out of bed before I might otherwise wake up naturally. Most days, I help him pack his lunch and sit down to pray with him before he heads out the door.
Once he leaves the house, I usually have some quiet time by myself before the kids wake up (believe me, this wasn't always the case! Hang in there moms of infants and toddlers...it does get a bit easier in that department! 🙂)
There are many ways I choose to fill this precious space in my day. Here's a quick overview of some of the things I currently enjoy:
- Praying. Over the years, I have started so many prayer journals, prayer calendars, and prayer lists, and have not been successful with keeping up with any of them. So, nowadays, I usually just talk with God about the things that are on my heart in the moment. I will lift up a friend of family member, pray over my schedule or my to-dos of the day, and just meditate upon God and praise Him for who He is.**
- Journaling. Sometimes I wake up with a very full head, just swimming with thoughts. These are the days I reach for my journal, which is always in my night stand, and journal my thoughts while they are fresh. I honestly don't have a favorite journal--I've had dozens through the years, but the one I am currently using is this one and it does not disappoint!
- Reading the Bible. I am working through the Chronological Bible this year, so I usually enjoy starting the day with the daily reading from the Scriptures. If I am doing a Bible study, I would do this instead, looking up the Scripture references and answering my Bible study questions. Sometimes, I make this the focus of my morning time and read a very lengthy passage of Scripture, like an entire book.
- Reading quality literature. I am really enjoying connecting with classic literature that I somehow missed out on as a young person. Books I've enjoyed reading include Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, and I'm currently reading Jane Austen's Emma. This is how I get my reading time in during my day. I've been amazed at how many books I can read in a year's time by just taking 20 minutes or so to read each day.
- Memorizing. This would include Bible verses and passages, but recently I have also been memorizing speeches and poems that uplift my spirit. I keep a binder of computer print outs of passages I am currently memorizing and ones I have memorized in the past so I can frequently review. (If I don't make time for it first thing, I will often work on this while I am blow-drying my hair later in the morning!)
My morning routine lasts about an hour. Sometimes I make a cup of tea and bring it upstairs with me to enjoy my quiet time in my bed. Other times, I enjoy drinking my tea downstairs while it is still quiet and dark. There are even days when I enjoy my morning time before my feet even hit the floor--this is especially true if my hubby is out-of-town and I sleep in a bit later.
I try never to be legalistic about any of this, and I don't necessarily do everything on this list every day. If for some reason I just can't handle reading my Bible first thing in the morning, I try to find time to read it later in the afternoon. The point of a morning routine is not to beat yourself up over failing to meet your morning-time expectations. Instead, it is a means to nourish your soul, feed your mind, and for us believers, meet with God before the chaos of the day begins.
My morning routine is not perfect, nor is it complete. I would love to add in yoga and perhaps breathing and meditation into the mix, too, which would help me better cope with anxiety. Perhaps that will all come in time! For now, I have been really blessed by consistently setting aside this extended quiet time and nourishing my soul and mind.
How about you, dear friend? Have you considered what your morning time routine looks like and how it feeds your spirit? Do you rush through your morning and feel drained before lunch? I hope you have found some inspiration in today's post to be intentional in setting aside some extended, quality time for yourself and God first thing in the morning. Need more ideas? Be sure to check out this podcast by Pam Barnhill and this blog post by Allie Casazza for some other great ideas, as well!
**UPDATE 11/4/18--I have been using these prayer journals by Val Marie Paper since May and they are the bomb.com! Her gorgeous 2019 yearly journal is available now, too
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