Every morning we wake up is an opportunity to hear from God first. Tuning into Him before our schedules, phones, or any other impending thing will remind us of His unfailing love for us. It will set us on a strong path for our day. A path that will strengthen our resolve for what lies ahead. When we put our trust in God’s love for us, there is nothing that can stand in our way. We are able to walk in the knowledge of His love and feel fortified by His presence no matter the circumstances that come our way. His guidance will show us the way to go and we can rest easy knowing that our lives are entrusted to the one that cares the most for them.
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.
Psalm 143:8 NIV
We are God’s chosen people. We are wanted. We are worthy. We are deserving. We can honor these things by putting on the “clothes” God requests of us. Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience are all the qualities that God’s people exude. What binds them all is love. Without love none of these are possible. It is because of love for one another that we desire to have these qualities. It is through forgiveness that we are able to maintain putting love first. When we love first, and do not lose sight that love is where everything stems from, these things can be more fully realized. However, it is when we are consumed by our grievances that we lose sight of love and these qualities wane. Let us look to God each day to light our path with love and leave our grievances in the past.
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Colossians 3:12-14 NIV
Considerations for your planner:
- How do you start your day? Write down what your bedtime routine is like and see how that may be impacting your following day.
- What are you clothed in each day? Write down the qualities that you feel best describe how you carry yourself every day.
A Story of Starting with God:
I used to start my morning with an alarm and angst for my day. I used to think my day started with the morning. Then I watched a sermon that flipped that understanding on its head. My day starts at night. When I choose to go to sleep, and how I go to sleep directly impacts everything for the next day.
Learning the unforced rhythms of grace (see Matthew 11:28-30) has taught me that my responsibility to my day starts, is consumed by, and ends with God. Choosing to be home, not stay up too late, eat well, and just being mindful of what I am worth has helped me tune into God more, choose my flesh less and be open to what He has for my life.
I no longer use alarms. I don’t need them. I wake up to the gentle nudging of God saying, “It’s time to get up.” My response is always, “thank you for bringing me to this day.” Well sometimes it's, “Do I really have to get up?” Our God is such an affectionate and loving God. He is a loving parent that gently gets me going each day. I love the love I feel from Him. He makes me better just by being close to Him.
- Anonymous
Strengthen the Christian Planner Family by sharing your experiences. We'd love to hear a story about God's work in your life. Use the form linked below to submit your story.
