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.