How Do You Start Your Day?

Over the last couple of days I have come to have a greater appreciation for this season of my life.  After spending a couple of days with one of my grandsons (and his parents!), and following them around through all the activities of their days, I'm came home pretty much exhausted!  I knew their lives were busy, but I guess I really only knew that "in theory" until I had a couple of days on that schedule.

Up at 6.  Leaving for school by 7.  (They all go to school.....1 student, 2 teachers.)  Baseball in the evening.  (The player, the coach, the score-book-keeper).  Dinner is either before or after the game, depending on what time the game is.  Hurry home to get a bath, have a bedtime devotion, pack a lunch for tomorrow, and off to bed so all that can be done again tomorrow.  And of course there are lots more details shoved into that framework. 

Many of you may live by a similar schedule.  I'm thankful that's not my daily schedule.  I don't think I could keep up.  Not any more.  But having followed that schedule with them for a couple of days, I feel better informed about how to pray for them, and I'll definitely be adding prayers for extra energy and stamina as I pray for them!

I'm thankful to be in a season of life where I ease into the day.  A season that allows me to linger over my coffee.  To take my time with my morning Bible reading rather than rush through it as I did so often in my younger years.

This morning I got up, let the dog out, and made the coffee (because I forgot to make it and set the timer last night).  While the coffee was brewing, I put the bird feeders out.  There's no leaving bird feeders out overnight on this mountain!  That's sort of like an open invitation to the raccoons and bears.  So every night we bring them in, and every morning we put them back out.  It's a bit of a chore, but worth it to enjoy the birds.

Once the birds and the dog had been fed, I settled into my chair and enjoyed my coffee and my Bible reading.  Well, "enjoyed" my Bible reading might not be the right word.......I'm reading in Jeremiah now....."Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture, declares the LORD."  Pretty heavy stuff for first thing in the morning. 

Coffee.  Bible reading.  Prayer.  It's a great way to start the day!

How do you start your day?

"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!"  (Psalm 103:1 ESV)