Morning light

What’s the first thing on your mind when you wake up each morning?

The first time I heard that question, I wanted to say that I awoke reciting Psalm 23 and the Lord’s Prayer. But the Lord gently popped that bubble, reminding me that I awoke thinking about my to-do list for the day.

No wonder I dreaded the morning. I hit the floor running. Empty the dishwasher. Start the laundry. Fix breakfast. Plan supper. Get a shower. The list had become the driving force of my day, starting from the very first.

I am starting to learn the principle of First Fruits: give God the first and the best. For me, that is my morning. I had to wrench myself away from the kitchen, where the dishes whispered my name. I had to ignore all the work that I served.

This journey is barely underway but the morning sun now brings joy for I spend the first hour of my day in praise, prayer, and study. I read the Word waiting for the dawn of new insight by the Spirit's grace. I sip tea listening to music. I bask in the warm light of God’s presence.

My plans are like the new grass, easily crushed. My work is dust, easily blown away. But my hours with my King are precious, an incredible regeneration of my spirit and my dreams as I sit at the feed of the great Redeemer. My work and plans become his.

I thought the First Fruits meant that I give away the best but I have learned that, when I come to the presence of the Best, he restores my soul and gives me a better best.

The mighty man will become tinder
and his work a spark;
both will burn together,
with no one to quench the fire."

Isaiah 1:31