Word Before the World
The first few minutes of our morning often determine the direction of the rest of our day. Before our feet ever touch the floor, something already has our attention.
Do you roll over to shut off your alarm then check your notifications? See who texted you? Who liked your Instagram post? Who sent you a Tik Tok? What happened on Facebook overnight? Or do you grab your phone, shut off your alarm and thank God for another day and to surrender your day to Him?
Which do you do?
Before our feet even hit the floor, our minds can already be filled with distractions, comparisons, worries, and endless notifications competing for our attention.
All of our quiet times look different. Some of you may have to get 3 children ready in the morning, cook the breakfast, make sure everyone is dressed, fed and out the door before 8am.
Some of you may have to get into the office before 8am with no children.
Some of you may be a stay-at-home parent.
It all looks different. We are not the same and never will be on the same schedule as each other.
Every day may look different for you and that’s okay.
"Seek first the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need." — Matthew 6:33
Before we had Kadence, my quiet time never seemed impossible…unless I was totally unmotivated and would have rather slept in. I would wake up, go outside while the coffee brewed and just sit on our back deck with a blanket wrapped around me (when the weather was crisp and decent). I would head back inside, grab my Bible, notebook and my coffee, sit down in a comfy spot on the couch and have my quiet time until it was about that time to get ready for work—I didn’t have anything else to worry about, as long as I started work at 8am from my desk downstairs in the basement.
Now, my quiet time looks completely different. When we had Kadence, it would be hard for me to get a chance to have my quiet time because the morning time was my time with Kadence and still is. So, I would get her up, feed her, get her dressed and ready for daycare and out the door we would go. Then I would come back home, eat my breakfast and make sure I was logged into work at 8am from my desk. At the time I was working from home, so it was easy for me to get my quiet time in while I was on my lunch break
Times have changed now. There have been some lifestyle changes and a new season/chapter in my life. Over the past couple of months, it was TOTALLY easy to have my quiet time throughout the day at any time that I wanted.
I started to develop healthy and positive habits. Instead of doing my daily scroll in the morning, I wake up to the smell of coffee already brewing. I slip on my under-eye patches that have been chilling in the refrigerator (my little secret to looking younger—wink wink), grab my Bible, notebook, colorful pens, and my favorite mug of coffee. Soft jazz fills the room while the rest of the house is still asleep. Those quiet forty-five minutes have become one of my favorite parts of the day.
My quiet time isn’t something that I have crossed off my to-do list and call it a day and feel accomplished. Yes, I may feel accomplished but that was because I got to spend time with one of my best friends. Just me and Him in the morning while the house is quiet and calm. It’s a great way to start out my morning and to start on a positive attitude.
God has been gently reminding me that He isn't asking for perfection. He's simply asking for my heart. He's been opening doors I never expected, closing others that I thought I wanted, and teaching me to trust Him one ordinary morning at a time.
So, when you wake up, are you putting the Word before the world? Or are you spending your morning before you hit the floor worrying about the things that you missed while you were sleeping and scrolling until it was time to get out of bed?
Maybe your quiet time is ten minutes in the school pickup line. Maybe it’s during a baby’s nap. Maybe it’s after everyone else goes to bed. Maybe today all you can do is read one verse while your coffee reheats for the third time.
God isn’t measuring the length of your quiet time. He’s delighted by a heart that desires to spend time with him.
Here are some questions for you…
What will you choose tomorrow?
What is God inviting you to today?
Where do you need to make room for Him this week?
What would change if you let God have the first word?
Tomorrow morning, before you open Instagram…Before you check Facebook…Before you answer a text…Before the world has a chance to tell you who you should be…Open your Bible. Let God have the first word.
