Friday, August 12, 2016

New Every Morning


Lamentations 3:22-23
Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

I'm not a morning person.

Don't get me wrong.  I love getting up in the morning, especially when everyone else is still sleeping.  It's so quiet and peaceful on our deck, with only the soothing sound of melodious bird song.  That's where I sit with my first cup of coffee, weather permitting.

But I'm not a morning person.

My head stays cloudy, fuzzy, until I'm draining my second cup.  I can peruse emails and check who has a birthday on Facebook, but half the time, with a few exceptions, I don't recall a thing I've read.  Whose birthday was it again today?  Did I remember to tweet that excellent blog?

And I won't, I can't, listen to any music or video before ten o'clock.  Period!

Do I talk with God?  Yes, but these are hazy bits and pieces of prayer.  Usually, the only things I'm lucid enough to verbalize are prayers of thanksgiving.  That's good, I suppose.  But it's only later in the day when I can pray in earnest, read scripture, and feel fully awake to His presence.

I'm not a morning person.

The irony in this is that I've thought of myself as a morning person for most of my life.  Maybe that is due to how early I had to rise in order to get my kids to school and me to work.  I had to jump start.  I had to rush (I despise rushing).  I had to push, push, push my reluctant self.

When I leave teaching, everything begins to shift.  I become more aware of my natural body rhythms when I begin blogging, and later, embarking on what would become the three novels in my Adventures in The Glade series.  What I discover is that my mornings are better suited to mundane tasks, like the gym and errands, whereas my afternoons, ideally between one and four o'clock, are my peak writing hours.

My mind is sharp, awake and aware.  My creative juices flow like torrent.

I am in my element!

So it should come as no surprise that today's blog takes shape in those afternoon hours so ideal for me.

No, I'm not a morning person.

But I am glad and grateful for each new morning the Lord gives me, and for His unfailing compassion and faithfulness.

~

Are you an early bird, an afternoon achiever, or a night owl?

Prayer:  Father, we thank You for Your great love for us and Your compassions that never fail.  No matter what time of the day or night it is, let us ever give thanks for the mercy and grace You show us each and every day.  In Jesus' name, we pray.  Amen.

13 comments:

  1. Martha, I am a morning person (after my first cup of coffee!). I get a lot more done in the morning. Don't try to have a serious conversation with me past 9:00 pm.
    You make an interesting point with this post. I think it's wise to know when our "optimum" hours of the day are.

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    Replies
    1. More power to you, Beckie! It is, indeed, wise to figure out what works the best for us as far as the time of day is concerned. Ironically, my body gets me up early still after all the years of having to do so, but it's the second cup that gets the blood pumping.
      And I'm with you about the after nine conversations. Let's just be quiet, read and go to bed. Lol!
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  2. I am not a morning person and my best time with the Lord is after everyone has gone to bed and I finally begin to get relaxed. I turn off the tv, lights and my over stuffed foot stool is my alter. I use to write at night but just because I am a night person I found I am my thoughts are clear in the early afternoon. I use to envy those, like my husband who is early to bed, early to rise but I am what I am by the grace of God. Maybe I will be a morning person in heaven. Glad to know someone else uses their late nights for the glory of the Lord.

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    Replies
    1. Betty, I wish I could stay up later at night, but I still tend to go to bed early and wake up (physically) early, but my most productive time is the afternoon. Glad you can stretch the day out!
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  3. I am not a morning person and my best time with the Lord is after everyone has gone to bed and I finally begin to get relaxed. I turn off the tv, lights and my over stuffed foot stool is my alter. I use to write at night but just because I am a night person I found I am my thoughts are clear in the early afternoon. I use to envy those, like my husband who is early to bed, early to rise but I am what I am by the grace of God. Maybe I will be a morning person in heaven. Glad to know someone else uses their late nights for the glory of the Lord.

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  4. You and I would drive each other nuts if we were married. I am a morning person and the afternoon is when I am my most "spacey." I would drive you nuts with the music and activity in the morning. I love music and usually have it on from morning to night, especially if I'm working out in the morning. (No headphones though when I ride my bike, unless it is on the trainer). But one thing i know: you are right about God's mercies being new every morning.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, Bill, that would drive me nuts! :) I need lots of quiet time before I can adequately face the "noise" of the day.
      But we both can agree on this - God's mercies are new every morning and always something to celebrate.
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  5. Great post, Martha!

    I'm a morning person, even if it takes a bit for the fog and cobwebs of sleep to clear out; therefore, I tend to start to fade in the early evening (depends on what I'm doing) and by 9 pm, I'm pretty much done for the day.

    It's a good thing for us to know when are optimum times of day are, so we can use them wisely.

    Love and blessings!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Kim! It is good for us to know when our optimum times are in order to be at our most productive best. I can get lots done in the mornings as long as my activities are menial ones and my brain doesn't have to kick into high gear. I, too, go to bed fairly early, usually by ten.
      Love and blessings!

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  6. Totally a night owl - and have been all of my life! I do my best thinking and writing and creating after the sun has gone down, usually by several hours!! I'm better in the morning than I used to be, but still not at my best. I usually wake with a negative thought, "What's going to happen today?" - and have to fight waiting for the "bad" thing to happen. I'm certainly praying about this, and asking God to help me out of this mindset. It's no accident that I was given the word *grateful* this year. And there's no better time to practice being grateful than when the Lord greets me in the morning with a new day to love Him, serve Him, and know Him ever better.

    GOD BLESS!

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    Replies
    1. Wow, Sharon, that's something I've never been is a night owl. I start shutting down around nine o'clock, and do rise early (usually between 6:30 and 7:00); it just takes time for me to feel fully awake and functional.
      And "grateful" is a wonderful word for the year, and it sounds like it is truly working positively in your life. Hmm . . . I might have to consider that word for 2017. :)
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  7. I like mornings, but I too need my coffee and a slower start. Like you though I am praising Him for each new day. Awesome mercies and undeserved grace. He is good! Blessings to you, Martha!

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    1. Sounds like we're the same in the morning department, Deb. But it is so awesome to be able to praise our Lord as we greet the new morning He has created for us.
      Love and blessings!

      Delete

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