How are your mornings working for you? Do you find yourself waking up rested? Do you have plenty of time to accomplish whatever it is that you like to do in the morning? Do you have time for a nice cup of coffee (or chai or whatever you love most) and a little reading or Bible study? Are you kind and gracious in the morning, or do you find yourself being harsh and snappy? Do you talk to someone, or do you barely make it to work, head down the entire time?

This week we are going to work on making our home a refuge by thinking through and making over our mornings. Our morning sets the tone for our entire day. Think about it. If we wake up in the morning already feeling overwhelmed by the state of the cleanliness of our house, we will feel defeated before we even have a chance to start our day. If we consistently wake up late, we are always feeling rushed and starting our day feeling like we have to somehow “catch up.” If we aren’t ready and/or rested, it becomes so easy to snap at our families and children and say things that we would never say had we been more rested and prepared to confront the day. Just like a doctor would tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I want you to know that your attitude in the morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. It is so very important. This is why I want to encourage you to give your morning routine a fresh look.

How are we going to accomplish this? We are all in different places in life, right? Our mornings all look a little different. There are some things, though, that we can consider. And then we can tweak them to fit us. Our personality. Our lifestyle. Not everyone is going to want quiet time in the morning. Or at all. Not everyone can sit for more than a minute. Some of you have little ones that demand every second. And not everyone’s morning starts early. So, take the ideas, run them through your filter, and then decide how you feel about things. Where you need work, as well as what can work for you.

Here’s the challenge for the day. Last week we talked about lighting a candle and the warmth it brings. If you’re able, light your candle every morning this week. Take in the scent and warmth, and use the flicker of the flame to remind you to slow down today. Then, play soft, gentle, encouraging music in your home this morning. If this is foreign to you, let me give you some pointers. Keep it simple. Use something like Spotify to find a good playlist that suits you. Just use your phone, you don’t need anything fancy. I keep a Spotify playlist going in the morning for me and my youngest. It really, really helps set the tone in our home. A really basic playlist that I could recommend for you is called Sang on Sunday. If you go to a fairly contemporary church, you will find this to have several songs that you should feel pretty comfortable with. These songs will help to keep your eyes off of yourself in the morning and instead redirect you to think outwardly. Just try it. If you miss this in the morning, try it when you get home. Each day this week we’ll build on this theme. So, keep it going!

Recap! Today’s Challenge: Light your candle and play great, encouraging music throughout your home.