I woke up this morning with these words on my heart and they’ve been rolling around in my mind ever since. They’ve been both convicting and encouraging me and I wanted to write down a few thoughts to share with you.
How does your morning begin? Perhaps it’s the toddler poking your arm, with blanket in hand, who has become your alarm clock. Maybe you rise with the sun to have your devotions on the front porch. It could be that your husband rises at an early hour for work, and you get up when he does to prepare his lunch and see him off to work. Or maybe you’re like me and your morning starts off with an alarm clock and the knowledge that my secretary job awaits me.
When you rise in the morning, what is the first thing you think of? Does your mind immediately go to all the responsibilities awaiting you? And if it does, how long do you linger there? Do you center your thoughts around Jesus? Do you make any effort to pull your thoughts back toward the Lord?
There have been so many articles written on the “power of positive thinking” and how to “start your day off right” from secular and Christian resources alike. But I truly believe that if we could all say with the psalmist “…in the morning I will direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.”(Psalm 5:3), we would be light years ahead of any positive thinking or ritual. Those have their place as well, but the Lord is the biggest resource to having a good day and starting it off right.
In my short lifetime, I have come to realize that my thoughts and where I choose to focus them set the tone for my days. Somehow those days turn into weeks, then months, and finally years. We cannot change the fact that life is busy and living here on earth means commitments and daily duties. But we can change where we choose to focus. And so often in our busy day-to-day lives, we lose sight of our end goal because our focus has shifted. Is our morning thought, to start our day out, focused on Jesus or focused on our work or play?
Maybe if we would choose to start our mornings off in a conscious effort to praise and worship our Master, our days would be better. It wouldn’t solve the problem of a messy living room or wash the dishes magically. The baby’s diaper wouldn’t get changed on its own and the toddler would still cry. The cookies would still need to be baked at our bakery jobs, and the secretaries still have to do paperwork. But our focus and joy and energy would be focused and renewed more often.
“The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace”(Psalm 29:11) The Lord blesses us whether we focus on him often or not. But, when we make an effort to think of Jesus at the start of our day, it will set the tone for the rest of our waking hours. Our thoughts are important little things, and they affect our hearts and mindset. How are we using our thoughts? Are they being used to honor and glorify and focus on our Heavenly King, or is the main focus of them on all the earthly things around us?
I don’t share these things to discourage you if this is something you (like me) are still working on, but to encourage you. To encourage you to shift your focus back to the one who has given abundant blessings and blessed you with the life you live. And if you’re walking in a season of hard things and pain, life may not look the same as what you’d like. But our God is still the same, and he still merits our praise and adoration. He is still working in our lives, helping us and orchestrating things for our good. And for that, he deserves ALL the thanks, praise, adoration, and time in our thoughts we can give Him! Let us give Him all the glory and adoration, when we rise and all the day long!
Bio: Kaitlyn is a lover of sunsets, especially the ones in her home-state of Nebraska. She enjoys drinking coffee, exploring new places, spending time with new and old friends, and deep conversations with people of all ages. You can often find her behind the desk in her little office, at home baking something, reading a book, or spending time with her family. She is passionate about finding beauty and joy in the everyday moments of life and sharing it with others. Kait always enjoys making friends and connecting with others, so you’re welcome to reach out to her on Instagram at @_katie.burk_ or email her at