Critical

Mornings are not my thing. Everyone knows that. So it should come as no surprise that it is a cause of great annoyance to me that mornings are so critical. So much of the day depends on how you start your morning.

On the right side of the bed (whatever that means)? Or the left?

With a happy smile and a sigh? Or a groan and a complaint muttered under your morning breath?

It rather gets on my nerves. Everything in me wants to roll into the rut of sluggishly going about my day, but then there's the knowledge that how I start the first hour of my conscious existence will effect the rest of my woken hours. A bad attitude in the morning typically remains, if it does not grow to be absolutely monstrous.

The first thoughts after you open your eyes are some of the most crucial. Here's what I have found helps to start the morning on the right foot (opposed to the left).

1. Be determined. To smile. To be joyful. To conquer. To be motivated.

2. Be slightly healthy. Cereal is terrible for you; kill it. Don't drink straight-up juice either; it's a waste of calories. Fruit will give you energy (smoothies!!) and make sure you have lots of protein (hungry tummies are not a good way to encourage a cheerful disposition).

3. Spend time with Jesus A.S.A.P. I cannot really focus on anything until I have been awake a good hour, and have had coffee. And in different seasons of my life, my time with Jesus is spent at different times of the day, depending on my schedule.

4. Set your focus in the right place.  Put your focus (first) on Him. Remind yourself that there's nothing else more important than growing closer to Him and loving people the way He would have you to. Then (second) put your focus on others. Doing this through prayer helps me bring my heart into submission on how He would have me love those in my life, too.

On that note, have a lovely morning!
Love, C