Mornings with God

Rush, rush, rush... that's how my mornings have been lately, and that's something that needs to change.

Holy smokes. Do you ever feel as if you rush from dawn to dusk, forgetting to take a breath, look around, and see the beauty of the day God has blessed you with? If your answer is yes, you are not alone. I have the tendency to do that exact thing, day after day, and it dawned on me that something has to give. That something would be living life in a rush.

I have decided that in order to re-train my mind from thinking that I must rush constantly to do this or that, I need to intentionally make time to slow down. Spending a set amount of time first thing in the morning with my personal Bible study "Growing in Grace" or with my group Bible study "Seeking Him" has been a great change that I plan to continue.

I don't think that there is a better reminder or way to slow down than to dive deeper into the Word of God, and get to know Him better. It's something that I struggle with because of my tendency to rush. I tell myself I'll do it later, or when supper is cooking, or while Riley is enjoying her show on tv (sorry ya'll I can't always sit with her and watch cartoons.. very few of those are my jam). The sad thing is, later comes and goes, and my studies get left undone or end up rushed and lacking in the comprehension department of my mind.

That is why I am choosing to set aside at least 30 minutes each morning, before checking my phone, before making breakfast, before doing laundry, before all the things that I think HAVE to be done, get done. I am amazed that during that half hour, I can be relaxed, calm, and soak up the passages and take my time to answer the reflection questions. I also have time to look up and review scriptures that apply directly to my struggles and reflect on those.

The crazy thing is that once I'm finished with those, I can then go about my morning. I may get laundry put away and started, then start breakfast. Even better? I still leave the house at the exact same time as I do when I rush through the morning in a whirl wind of stress. So why rush and stress? If I don't get the dishes put away, they'll be there after work. If I don't get laundry put away, it will be there after work. That is ok.

We cannot do it all, and we cannot be our best selves if we are constantly rushing. I have noticed that by slowing down, I am happier and able to feel more joy. I can treat others better, and be less snappy and expecting them to rush because I am rushing. I'm a work in progress, always and forever, but doing my best to make forward progress and not fall backwards into the land of rushing and stress.

Growing in Grace is a four-week study that walks you through spiritual disciplines. It's goal is to give believers the knowledge they need to grow in their Christian walk with the help of the Holy Spirit. I love the format of this study, and how it takes you through verses, and ends the day with questions to reflect on.

Where to begin with the Seeking Him study? It's the study that we are currently doing in our women's Bible study for church, it's goal is to revive Christians and their relationship with the Lord. It digs deep into what revival is and guides you through the revival process. My favorite part of this study is Day 5 of each week. On day 5, it gets deep into personal reflections and for me, causes a lot of deep thinking and realization on areas that I can grow.

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