Morning Thoughts

I just wanted to share this morning devotional reading from Sarah Young's Jesus Calling book because it really spoke to me at a rather practical level.  Here it is:

"Seek My Face at the beginning of your day.  This practice enables you to 'put Me on' and 'wear Me' throughout the day.  Most people put on clothes soon after arising from bed.  Similarly, the sooner you 'put Me on' by communicating with Me, the better prepared you are for whatever comes your way.

To 'wear Me' is essentially to have My mind: to think My thoughts.  Ask the Holy Spirit to control your thinking; be transformed by this renewal within you.  Thus you are well-equipped to face whatever people and situations I bring your way.  Clothing your mind in Me is your best preparation for each day.  This discipline brings Joy and Peace to you and those around you."

I guess this is one way to put on the Armor of God that Ephesians 6: 10-18 talks about:  to devote my first thoughts each morning to the Lord...and to beg the Holy Spirit to take hold of my thoughts since before my feet reach the ground until my body goes down to sleep at night again.  So often, I haven't opened my eyes yet, and my mind starts racing about the troubling things of the day.  The day hasn't even started, and I'm already fretting what I anticipate will happen.  I'm not still yet awake, and I'm stressing out over all the items on my daily list. 

This spiritual discipline of making a conscious effort to dedicate my first thoughts to the Lord in the morning helps me center my attention on what's important.  Ever since I first read this same devotional reading several years ago (I'm actually on my 4th or more year of re-reading Sarah Young's Jesus Calling book as one of my morning routines) I have been able to at least, catch myself when my mind drifts to the worries of the day ahead, rather than on consecrating my first thoughts to Christ.  I can't say that I'm successful, 100% of the time in my attempts of beginning my day seeking God's face.  But, at least I am aware when I don't, so I can try to redirect my path.

This discipline is helping me even with being better at letting go of stressful thoughts and circumstances.  It happened just this past weekend, when the threat of stress upon a situation came to me on an e-mail (don't you love this era when work follows you wherever you are?) ... but instead of doing what I usually do:  panic!  I was able to say:  God will take care of it.  It's in His hands...and just like that...a sense of peace came over me and I was able to not drive myself crazy trying to figure out what to do next.  And, after that, whenever the worry would threaten to enter my heart again, I would repeat the same phrase in my mind...and peace would return.

I was amazed!  It actually works!  Imagine that...God's promises ARE true, indeed!

It all starts with small steps of faith...small spiritual disciplines that transform our "normal" of chaos into a new normal where peace flows like a river.  I'm not there yet, by any means!  But I'm here as a testimony that it is possible to bring all of our weaknesses to the Cross and allow Jesus to infuse His strength in us.  All He asks in return is that we fix our eyes on His Precious Face.  What a beautiful price to pay for all that He does for us.

May the Holy Spirit hold every thought captive and enable us to, by His strength, honor Him with our first thoughts every morning as a demonstration of our trust in Him and on His power to work all things for good.  In Christ's Name.  Amen!