  Day 1: I liberally dumped milk into the steaming coffee. The cold liquid brought down the temperature. It did not singe my throat when I gulped a few seconds later. I mixed a second cup and trudged to the kitchen table. My bleary eyes gazed down at the words of my Bible. I drug a hand through wayward hair and prayed, “God, this is going to get easier, right?” It did. A long time ago, before children and traveling, I used to get up early each morning to read my Bible and pray. That ritual went out the window with newborns and a working husband needing an early breakfast. But I remembered how vital it had been to start my day on solid ground. This year my husband started a new job and it was tough for me to adjust to our new schedule. Each day got progressively harder and more frustrating. Adela became defiant and Micaela’s antics with increasing mobility kept me on my toes. Quiet time found during the day dwindled. Nothing about me was okay anymore. I was grouchy and filled with self-pity. I began to battle anger and resentment. I felt like I was slowly changing into a monster. I knew that the answer had to begin with God. But when could I go to Him and have that one-on-one relationship grow? There was only one answer: Mornings. So I did. It has been 90 days now of me waking 30 minutes before I need to start cooking breakfast. I won’t lie, the first couple weeks were difficult, but now I love it. We all need this. There is nothing wrong with including God in the daily activities of our lives, but, remember that the best friendships are cultivated by giving full attention and priority in our hearts. These mornings that I wake, read my Bible, write in my Prayer Journal, and meditate on scripture, are my best days. I feel like I begin the day completely ready for the challenges that will come. I have an extra dose of peace in my soul and an extra measure of love in my heart. Lord knows I am desperate for that right now. This habit began feeling like a sacrifice of time and rest, but now it has become a blessing I am eager to claim each morning. God said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened." Matthew 7:7-8, ESV If you are struggling to find our own special time with God, I want to encourage you today to take a leap and put a new habit in practice. There are so many amazing ways to connect with God. There is personal Bible study, creative devotionals, podcasts with gifted ministers, Bible journaling, and much much more. I made a Pinterest board with devotional time ideas that might provide information and motivation to help you move forward in a stronger foundation of devotion time with God. All of us have hearts that crave a closer relationship, a special friendship, with our Heavenly Father. Let us seek Him out daily and be blessed. I rise before dawn and cry for help;
What daily devotional routines and resources have personally touched your relationship with our Heavenly Father? Comment below.
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