This week’s Welcome to My World blog challenge question is, “What was your first thought when you woke up this morning?”
Before I broke the cellphone addiction:
I’d measure the morning hour by the darkness or light that slipped through the bedroom window covering. Most mornings, it was early when I awakened, 5:00 a.m. or earlier. In a groggy, sleepy state, my first thought was to find my cellphone. I fumbled around under my pillow or the nightstand before locating it. Relieved, I turned it on so I wouldn’t miss my 7:15 a.m. medicine alarm.
My cellphone greeted me with a bright light, power-up tune, and pings. I figured I may as well check my inbox and social media updates.
With one tap, I gold-stared emails in need of a reply, read some and deleted others, then scrolled news feeds and considered whose post to share. Next, I leaped into a mental checklist of domestic chores before jumping out of bed.
Already, the day felt heavy.
My first thought—to turn on the cellphone—didn’t inspire me to rise with an eager heart. Are mornings supposed to be this way? Lamentations 3: 22-23 tell us otherwise.
22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness. (NKJV)
I had forgotten to greet God first, to speak praise and gratitude prayers, to put self-serving thoughts aside.
But guess what?
I stopped the routine in its tracks through prayer and setting new priorities. Now, after a groggy, Good Morning, Lord, I fumble around for my Bible.
Mornings are no longer heavy.
I still measure wake-up hours by the darkness or light that slips through my bedroom window covering. I still turn on my cellphone, but not until after I’ve experienced the Lord’s new compassions.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not perfect with my endeavor. Sometimes, upon waking, I think of my cellphone. But I know I have a choice. I know God waits for me, and I can’t wait to fill my mind with beautiful moments with Him.
What about you? What is your first thought when waking up? How do you greet the day?
Dianne Marie Andre 