Our mornings are busy, chaotic, and often give us more stress than joy. How can we reclaim our mornings, to spend time with the Lord and feel joyful for the day ahead? In this four-day Bible Plan, we’ll explore four strategies to start our mornings with joy.Neal Samudre
Day 1
Scriptures: Romans 12:2, Psalms 90:14, Psalms 143:8, Psalms 5:3
Perspective: The Goal of Mornings
Every morning, I get up at 5am, make coffee, and sit with the Lord. It’s the one practice that has shaped my spiritual life, mental health, and emotional wellness more than anything.
Now, you might be thinking that you can’t wake up that early or even get time to yourself in the morning. Mornings are not times for you to be with the Lord. They are times of stress, anxiety, and busyness.
I’ve discovered that you don’t have to be a morning person to enjoy mornings. In fact, my wife is not a morning person at all. When she wakes up, she gets her coffee and sits still for about 30 minutes before she does anything.
Anyone can enjoy mornings. We just need to start with the right goal for our mornings.
Culture tells us that mornings are a time to hustle. Do your hardest task first thing in the morning. Workout as soon as you wake up. Hit the grindstone and work.
But this is opposite of what the Bible says we should be doing with our mornings.
The Bible says we should be singing the praises of God in the morning. We should be declaring his steadfast love and going to him with the burdens of our heart.
The mornings are not a time to cram in a busy schedule. The goal is to renew our perspective.
It’s easy to think about the day ahead and get started right away. But first, we need to connect with the Lord, and allow him to renew our mind so we can approach our day right. If we don’t get this right, our mind will still carry the weights of our fears, thoughts, and worry. Reconnecting with the Lord gives our minds an outlet of hope. These thoughts can drain out, and we can be resupplied with hope and joy instead. This is what we need in our days.
Tomorrow, before you do anything, make a renewed perspective your one goal for the morning. Don’t try to get to your task list as fast as possible. Your mornings will be a success if all you do is renew your perspective with the Lord. Make that your one goal.
Day 2
Scriptures: Lamentations 3:22-23, 1 John 1:9, Psalms 34:4-5, Romans 10:10-11
Put Aside the Shame of Yesterday
It’s easy to wake up with the shame of yesterday still weighing heavily on you. We are creatures who love to replay past mistakes in our mind, and carry them around like chains.
But this is why I love mornings so much. If a renewed perspective with the Lord becomes your one goal for the morning, then it’s easier to let go of the mistakes you made yesterday. It’s easier to start new.
There’s a phenomenon known as the “Fresh Start Effect.” It’s when we are more motivated to take action after we feel like the slate has been wiped clean for us. This is why New Year’s Resolutions are a thing. Temporal landmarks such as a new year, our birthday, or an anniversary, gives us a sense that we can start over. This clean slate motivates us to take action.
The reason why the Fresh Start Effect works is because it allows us to separate ourselves from our past mistakes. Too often, people don’t let themselves move forward when they’ve made past mistakes. A temporal landmark helps us separate from those mistakes.
Here’s the thing: the Gospel has given us the ultimate fresh start. And the Bible tells us that the Lord’s mercies are new each morning.
We can practice a fresh start each morning.
Here’s how I like to practice this. Every morning, when I wake up with a renewed perspective, I imagine the Lord telling me that my mistakes are behind me. When I journal in the morning, I process more of the shame I carry from the day before. But when I close my journal, I imagine me putting away those shame and anxiety thoughts. Just as I close my journal, I’m closing the door on yesterday’s shame.
You too can enjoy a fresh start every morning. In the morning, imagine the Lord providing you with fresh mercies. Then set aside yesterday so you can be present today.
Day 3
Scriptures: Matthew 25:1-13, 1 Peter 1:13
Prepare for the Day Ahead
Many of us react to the troubles of our day instead of preparing our hearts for them. This time of preparation often comes in the morning when we seek a renewed perspective with the Lord.
But when we roll out of bed and dive headfirst into our troubles without preparation, all we can do is react to them.
The Bible places a great deal of emphasis on preparation. Jesus tells a story of ten virgins who were going to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were prepared with extra oil and the other five weren’t. When the bridegroom finally came, only the five with extra oil were prepared to meet him.
Though this is a parable of the end times, it notes how important preparation for the future is. In the mornings, we prepare best for the day ahead by getting our heart and mind right.
It’s easy to wake up with dread in our heart and mind. To prepare for the day, we must capture that dread and redirect it back to hope.
Here’s how I do this. When I wake up, after I do my devotion and while I’m journaling, I ask myself one simple question: how will I enjoy today?
When you ask yourself this question, you go on the search for joy. You see that there is hope for this day because God created it and God is in it. And best of all, you give yourself something to look forward to!
Prepare your hearts in the morning and it could make all the difference in the day.
Day 4
Scriptures: Philippians 4:8, Colossians 3:1-2, 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
Protect Your Mornings for Joy
A recent study by Shawn Achor and Arianna Huffington found that just 3 minutes of negative news in the morning makes you 27% more likely to report having a bad day 6-8 hours later.
Our thoughts matter. They inform our emotions, our actions, our prayers, and more. But so often we let things in that taint our thoughts. I’ve seen many families turn on the news as soon as they wake up, and let their thoughts be shaped by headlines rather than God.
It’s no wonder that we struggle with positivity in the morning. We’re not giving ourselves the opportunity for our minds to be refreshed with hope and joy in God.
We must protect our mornings for joy.
This means we shut off the news when we wake up. We avoid checking on social media to see the latest internet debate. We don’t check email until we check our hearts.
When we create strong boundaries around our mornings, it’s easier to have a renewed perspective in God. It’s easier to be more hopeful, joyful, and open to what life brings you.
Mornings are important. They are a fresh start, an opportunity to wipe the slate clean, reconnect with the Lord, and get the energy and hope we need for another day.
It might take a little effort, but consider creating more space in your morning. Maybe try waking up a few minutes earlier each day. And count your morning a success if you have a renewed perspective. That’s it.
A practice like this can be transformational for the trials and complexities of today. May your mornings refresh you to be a light in today’s world.