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DAY 5

WAKING

God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, his merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over). He’s all I’ve got left. (Lamentations 3:22-24 THE MESSAGE)

When my daughter first graduated from a crib to a toddler bed, she would awaken and sit up in her bed, as she had in her crib. Perhaps fooled by the small bedrail, she would call for me. If I didn’t hear her right away (and I usually didn’t because I was fast asleep), she’d bellow: “Mommy! I want to wake up!”

This typically jolted me out of bed. “You already are awake,” I’d mutter, stumbling across the hallway to her room, as if she cared about semantics. But I would lift her out of her bed (which she quite easily could have climbed out of), kiss her cheek, and let her rest her head on my shoulder. I was hoping to keep the myth alive, to keep her believing she needed my assistance to get out of bed, to keep her from wandering around in the morning alone.

She often woke before 6 a.m., so I’d carry her back to the kingsize bed in our bedroom and let her snuggle with my husband and me. Sometimes she’d fall back asleep between us. Soon she discovered she could easily get herself out of bed, and she’d quickly sprint into our room and climb into our bed.

Gradually, mornings became a time of connection with my children. My son, born two years later, quite quickly picked up the habit of coming to our bed in the morning. Even as a preschooler, he’d often show up around 4 or 5 a.m. “I had a bad dream,” he’d say, slipping under the comforter to rest beside me. “Do you want to talk about it?” I’d ask sleepily. “No,” he’d say, just cuddling in beside me.

I loved these times. Even though my children woke me earlier than perhaps I would have chosen, I treasured their intimate snuggles. As they moved past the preschool years, my children grew increasingly independent. Morning became one of the few times when they would willingly cuddle. Despite the stresses that would come during the day, we had a few moments without conflict or strife to begin the day.

How do you typically wake up? To the cries of children who want to be fed? To an alarm clock? (And what does it do to your soul, to make your first thought upon waking: “It’s morning! Be alarmed!”)

Some awaken and immediately think of the stressful day before them, unwinding like a rolling ball of yarn they cannot stop. Others shake off the grogginess of sleep only to have it replaced by the weight of sadness or failure.

The Bible says that as we sleep, God watches over us. If that’s true, he’s still there keeping watch as we awaken. His presence is available 24/7. My best days are the ones where I take a moment before leaping out of bed to just lie there for a minute and let the cobwebs clear enough to simply say, “Good morning, Lord.” To remind my soul of what is true—he is with me, always.

As my eyes open (whether in response to the alarm or just my internal clock), I try to make my first thought be about Jesus. We live so hurried and hassled, think we haven’t the time to just take a few moments to lie in bed and give our day to God, to ask Jesus to be with us. But you have all the time you need to do what God has called you to do, and in those first moments of the day, he’s calling you to simply acknowledge and enjoy his presence.

I realized a while ago that an extra sixty seconds or so to simply swim to the surface of consciousness was time well spent. The best way to start your day is to just take a moment to breathe, and to focus, and to give the day to the one who gave it to you: Jesus.

PRESENCE PRACTICE

When you awaken, don’t jump out of bed. Conversely, don’t hit the snooze alarm and go back to sleep.

Stretch your arms over your head to awaken your body physically. Take a few deep breaths.

Lie quietly and ask yourself, “How am I feeling?” Are you happy? Anxious? Are you rested? Perhaps if you’re still exhausted you need to make a habit of going to bed earlier. Although we may not think of it as a spiritual practice, sleep is essential for our physical and spiritual health. Sometimes the most God-honoring thing you can do is simply to get a good night’s rest.

As you are lying or sitting in your bed, just think about Jesus. If it helps, imagine him perched at the foot of your bed. Remind yourself that he’s been by your bedside all night, just waiting for you to awaken and greet him. Say, “Good morning, Lord.”

Think about the day ahead of you, just briefly. What meetings are scheduled? What tasks must be accomplished? Which people do you have to interact with? Invite Jesus to be with you in those encounters and chores. Ask him for guidance; surrender these things to his care. Ask him to keep you aware of his presence as you go through your day.

This practice should take less than five minutes. Begin your day aware of Jesus, and dedicate the day to him. (Make this a practice throughout the remainder of the forty-day challenge.)

Check here when you have completed today’s Presence Practice.