Good Morning, Lord...

Today's Playlist:

Good Morning- Mandisa
Today is the Day- Lincoln Brewster
10,000 Reasons- Matt Redman

(Because music is the perfect backdrop for everything...just click on the links to listen) 

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When I was a teenager, I went to a summer church camp every year in West Virginia. As you can imagine, it provided a mixture of TONS of fun along with moments in which they challenged us to get quiet and think about God. There were silly songs and skits, whipped cream wars and hiking, but there were also times of worship with music and devotions that brought about life-changing moments for me. One thing I remember so clearly was that they would have us all go out and find someplace quiet to sit alone and reflect on our lives and pray. There is something about being outdoors that makes you feel closer to God and I can still remember those times so clearly.

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Another thing that stands out so vividly about camp is something they taught us about mornings. I am NOT a morning person at all. I'm ok once I am up and enjoy a good cup of coffee and a sunrise, but I struggle to go to bed early so mornings are not ideal. In fact, I wish I could rearrange time so that I could sleep until 10 am and go to bed at about 3 am. I do my most effective work and even my best writing after midnight. I wish I was a morning person, but I am just wired differently I guess. During one devotion at church camp, they told us not to start our day by saying, "Lord...it's morning" which indicates that we dread the day before it starts. Instead, we should say, "Good Morning, Lord." Their point was that it was better to wake up feeling thankful that He has given us another day to serve Him, rather than grumbling because it's time to get up. They probably had no idea the impact that simple lesson would have on my life.

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Believe it or not, for the past 25+ years, I have been starting my day by saying, "Good Morning, Lord." There have been some days where it felt like a chore to thank Him for the morning because my world felt like it was crashing down. Other mornings, I said it with relief that I or someone I love made it through the night. Some mornings found me in the midst of joyous times and the words rolled off my tongue with praise. Other times, I awoke to the darkest moments one can imagine and spoke them through tears and tremendous pain. Regardless of my circumstances, I knew that the Lord was the one constant in my life. No matter what had happened through the night or how badly I had messed up the day before, I could count on His mercies to renew each time I awoke. It became a way to reset everything and start over.

Of course, there are mornings when I am distracted and only focused on myself. My thoughts are often crowded with my plans or responsibilities for the day and I sometimes miss my opportunity to start my mornings off right. Sometimes, I find myself starting to pray at four in the afternoon and I realize that it is the first time I have acknowledged God all day. Guess what? I make myself say, "Good Morning, Lord," as a sort of confession to God of my self-reliance and a way to remind myself that I had gone all day without the one thing I need the most in my life.

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When I think back to learning this simple lesson so long ago, I am amazed at the ways it has impacted my life. I encourage you to try it. Before you even put your feet on the floor, say, "Good Morning, Lord." Begin your day by thanking Him for a new day, for another chance to start over. Begin a habit of focusing on Him first. Begin to see each morning as a gift instead of a reason to complain.

In recent years, I have passed my tradition down to my own kids. I pray that it will take root in them like it did in me and that they will learn the importance of acknowledging Christ before anything else. Look for an upcoming post about how I am teaching my children (and others) to be thankful for the mornings. Until next time...

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