The holidays are now upon us. This week Thanksgiving is here and then the Christmas season begins with Black Friday. Black Friday is notorious for its craziness. Long lines at the department stores, websites with huge increases in traffic, even the malls which are mostly empty see increased visitors. People rush into stores to get their pick of the limited supply. Some folks camp out in the parking lot to await the arrival of the good deals. And after Black Friday is over, the sales continue. In towns there is more traffic on the streets than usual.
One must park farther away from the store front or fight to get a coveted parking space that is near the entrance. We make lists of gifts we want (or feel compelled) to buy for family, friends, coworkers, loved ones, extended family, etc. There are Christmas activities at school, at work, at Grandma’s, at … Then Christmas day will finally arrive. Some of us get up in the morning and the children open gifts at home and then the family packs up and gets to a relatives house for the afternoon, and then the other side of the family for the evening. And next thing ya know, 2019 will be here as we usher it in on New Year’s Eve. I’m telling you- that makes me exhausted just listing it all out! There are so many ways that this list can be made more peaceful, but I want to focus on just one thing. The morning time each day.
We often just wait until the new year to make any changes to our life. So we do what we’ve always done through the holidays and get the same results we always got- stress, weight-gain, exhaustion, and at the end we realize something needs to change. I want to encourage and challenge us to no longer be captive to staying in the same old rut.
One thing that I’ve discovered over the last several months is how amazing mornings are. I have been waking up just before sunrise and taking a walk/run and it is always beautiful! So I want to encourage each one of us to take the time to awaken before dawn and take a walk. In Psalm 108:2 the Bible says, “Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.” There is something amazing about the morning. But even if you don’t believe in the Bible, give it a try. I know there are so many excuses. Believe me when I say that I’ve used a lot of them throughout the last several months. “I’m too tired.” “I stayed up too late last night.” “I am too busy.” “My legs hurt.” “I’ve got too many other things going on right now to start anything else.” Yep, I seriously told myself every one of those things, plus more. But on this end of it all, it has been worth every morning of it!
So, I know that it seems a lot easier to just wait until the new year to start something new, but I want to challenge you to start tomorrow, or today. The whole new year’s resolution thing fizzles out anyway. Start now! Post your morning pictures to social media, or comment here. Be sure and hashtag #SeizeTheMorning so we can all be encouraged together! The sunrise is always beautiful! Sometimes other things will catch your eyes or ears. The sights and sounds of morning time are peaceful and rejuvenating. Seize the moment this holiday season and seize the mornings. Take time to be peaceful in the morning and your holiday will be more peaceful. There is something special about the morning, wanna find out what it is for yourself? Try it out starting tomorrow and don’t stop for thirty days. Join me in the morning!
