I usually Hate Discipline...

I went for a walk on West River Drive today. It was so gorgeous with the sun and snow. Lately a nice walk in the morning has felt so nice.

I am trying to start disciplines in my life that I am able to keep going. I have learned that walking in the mornings helps, because I don't have time to not want to go through out the day...then feel like I am making myself go. The same with reading the Bible and listening to God. I am trying to be consistent with that in the mornings too.

Hubie got me a Joyce Meyers daily devotional book for Valentine's Day this year. I started reading it every morning because it is short, and I tend to enjoy Joyce. One of the days, Joyce wrote about the importance of starting a day with God. Jesus started his day with God, and it seems that many folks believe this is a good idea. I believed it was a great model as well, but never have been able to do this consistently.

Joyce's explanation resonated with me. She e explained that the minute we wake up, the devil is trying to steal life from our days. That makes sense to me. Almost every day I struggle to find joy and peace, stay focused on God, and have the desire to connect with God. It is frustrating to wake up in this state.

For the past couple of weeks, my days have been much better since spending the first chunk of my day with Jesus. Praise God that he finally is able to break through!
Joyce included a couple helpful tips for connecting with God in the morning (they mostly come from the Psalms): praise God, thank God, confess our weaknesses, and invite God to bring his power in the day.

I am praying that I can keep this discipline going, and that years to come, my family will see me spend time with God each morning. That is a big prayer for me (and it seems a lot of people), but I hope you will join me!