Take a Moment

June 2020…

I do just about the same thing every morning. I wake up around 6am, stumble bleary-eyed into the kitchen, and make the same cup of coffee that I’ve made for the last nearly 16 years. Well, except nowadays it’s Hazelnut flavored. That’s my favorite. But always with Coffee Mate. No Coffee Mate, no deal.

Next I find a comfy spot to sit with my feet up while I sip hot smooth heaven and get my brain to wake up. This spot can change on a whim, and I’ve had a spot in just about every room of my house. But for the last so many weeks it has been in an old, worn out, soft blue barrel chair with my feet propped up on the window seat in the front room of my 1970s home. This is where the sun comes up.

I sit and sip and soak in the sunlight – and it’s honestly like my own piece of heaven on earth.

No matter where I am when I wake up in the morning, I seek this space of morning solitude. If I’m packed into a hotel room with my family, I quietly sneak down to the lobby or off to Starbucks. If I’m in a cabin at the lake… and I always wish I was in a cabin at the lake… I’m on the deck before the sun comes up, wrapped in a blanket, coffee in hand, waiting for the symphony of sunrise to begin.

I love to soak up the morning. To breathe it in.

I think through issues in the depth of quietness and can see the answers more clearly in the morning. I think about the day ahead and make mental bullet points or jot down a list. But in all these years of setting myself aside for a slow awakening, there is one thing that draws me back time and time again. And that is my first moment of the day with my Father.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

I don’t see myself as going in and out of the presence of God. I don’t have a morning “quiet time” and then leave Jesus where I found Him and go on with my day. We walk together through life, in the beauty and in the ashes. He has proven to me that He will never leave me nor forsake me (Hebrews 13:5).

However, even though He is always with me, I am not always “with” Him. Life happens. Things get busy. Distractions run rampant. And Lord knows what I’m going to have to face on any given day on this roller coaster of life. I mean, I have three teenagers… that alone can make a woman need to sit down…

So, that’s why I like to “touch and agree” with Jesus first thing in the morning.

I make an effort to still myself and know that He is God… gentle, loving, and kind. I thank Him for specific things He has done, and for specific ways that I know He loves me. I acknowledge ways in which I went wrong, or departed from Him, or was not loyal to Him in my heart, mind, words, or actions. I stand in awe of His mercy, forgiveness, and grace.

I pick up my Bible or devotional and read, “I have loved you with an everlasting love. Before time began, I knew you…” Words of my loving Father. I purposefully take those words and let them soak into my heart and mind.

This is my firm foundation, the Rock upon which I stand.

I am loved. I am cherished. I am treasured.

But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread Your protection over them, that all who love Your name may be filled with joy. For You bless the godly, O LORD; You surround them with Your shield of love.

Psalm 5:11-12

This is the message of my life to the world because of all the Lord has done for me. You are loved more deeply and more completely than you can ever imagine, and you absolutely can be free and have joy and purpose in this life through Christ. It’s not too late. Don’t give up.

Take a moment… a quiet morning, a lunchtime getaway, a bedtime unwinding. For some it will happen in a gasp of desperation as that baby won’t stop crying, the money isn’t coming in, and the world is crashing around you. Whenever or wherever, it’s always the same. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He is taking care of you. You are loved, cherished, and treasured.

You have to know it and believe it for yourself. No one can do it for you. Take a moment… an on-purpose moment… to quiet your heart and mind, and know that you are loved. Breathe it in. Set yourself down on that truth and live from there. It will change your life.