Amusingly enough, if you were to ask me what one of the biggest changes in my life was last year, one of the first things to spring to mind is that I went from being a night owl to an early morning person.
I keep contributing that to the fact that I moved out of my bustling childhood home where introverted me got the most quiet time late at night, but in reality, that’s not the case. See, it was near nearly a year ago – before moving had even entered my realm of possibilities – that I started my very solid morning routine that has become my favorite.
And, it was with the beginning of said routine that mornings began to be my favorite. Each morning I get up, make my bed, get ready for the day, brew myself a mug of coffee, then snuggle up with low lighting, a fuzzy blanket, my Bible, prayer journal, and a good, non-fiction book to study. Then I settle in for rejuvenation of the soul.
This time is special for me because it’s before the rest of the world is expecting anything from me so I don’t have to reply to texts, worry about being late to anything, or engage other people in conversation. It’s simply time for me to spend with God and grow, seek, and learn.
A year or so ago I had a conversation with a friend where I expressed frustration at not being able to see bigger and more apparent big things happening in my life. It felt like I was treading water versus making ripples that would affect the world like I wanted my life to. She (wisely) pointed out that maybe this is my season of life to dig roots down deep and be faithful in the little things.
That was one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever gotten, and I’ve thought about it often in the intervening months. Now instead of worrying that I’m not leaving an impressive legacy, I’ve stopped trying to jump on the wheel of quick success and instead focus on digging roots deep.
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,
And provide for those who grieve in Zion– to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. Isaiah 61:1-3
Noveltea 
I love that! I’ve always wanted to have a good morning routine, but haven’t succeeded for very long stretches at a time. I enjoy the quiet of early mornings (so much more restful than the quiet of late nights!), but I haven’t built a routine that sticks yet. I think one of the big things I need to do, besides getting to bed in good time, is to change my thinking about mornings. From an “I have to” to an “I get to..and see how much I enjoy it!” attitude! 🙂
Onward and upward!
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I recently read (not sure if it’s true) that most American’s are unhappy to wake up 300 times a year. That sounded horrible to me! I know that different body types work differently and that it can be super hard to wake up for some people… I’m just thankful that waking up is a joyful experience for me. Sure, it IS hard sometimes, even for me, but having a routine I enjoy makes it worth getting out of bed.
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:O That’s a lot! But then, I guess I can understand, because most of the time if I don’t have a good reason to get up (like, I don’t have a morning routine I look forward to/enjoy, or I’m not looking forward to something), it is really hard to wake up some days. Especially if I’ve consistently been going to bed past 11 for a while. I want to change that, but obviously part of changing is learning to be more thankful overall. A better outlook definitley does make it easier!
So what does that say about the mental state of a lot of us? That’s a scary thought….
Interesting, since my comment here a few days ago, I’ve tried to rearrange my morning routine a bit and I’ve been getting up earlier. I’m enjoying that, and hoping I can make it into something that will last!
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So this conversation was a while ago, but I hope you’ve been able to continue getting up early and having fun with your morning routine!
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