Waking Up-what would happen without books, blogs, PSPs, commericals, phonecalls, and bitter feelings to fill our thought spaces?

Had a question on my mind when I first woke up today, but I did not know what the question was, only the feeling of it.

So I said (silently) "What is it God? What is the question?"

After a bit of reflection and sorting, getting a drink of water and a leftover browie while searching for my bible, it was "Where does your family find thier time and spaces in Me?" and then a bit later in the day I was reminded that today marks the 16th year since my second child died at birth.  And the question was " What laundry can we get washed out today?" (Malachi 3) 

And then I realized I almost always start a day this way if I wake up before the world starts spinning too loud. If I am in bed and it is quiet I talk to Him, I reflect on Him, I imbibe.  And I realize today this is one place and time in my life which make sense and finds peace. It is more than a practice, and even more than a habit.  It is a way of thinking and being and it is a gift if we can find Him in the chaos, in the storm, in the flurry, in the excitement, the fear, the anger, the suspicions and solicitations and all those distractions that will pull one this way and that.  

What is your morning or evening routine?

With a family of three tween/teens, we have a family devotion time most evenings to read scripture and do a little reflection.  Over the holidays the structure of this had been dropped and being the first, we started the practice again last night.   Group gatherings are fine, yet the individual application is up to each individual.  What takes me to His word is knowing He is present in the present of my present. And without time and space to prepare, eat, chew, digest, store, purge the excess, and set up for more work in His truth and sustinace (truth and support that is from Him, not simply a set of writings or a code) I could simply be someone who goes into the store, fills up the cart wtih essentials,  and then fails to pay the price and walks out with a soda, candy bar and a bag of cheetos instead from the eye candy display. Down the road you balance your check book and realize you blew all your resources, ended up with a stomach ache, a couple of headaches and you really feel like crap. 

I had woken up before anyone else this morning, getting back to my normal. And this is not the stressed out wake up in a alarmed at 2 or 4 in the am and cannot get back to sleep thing. Today it was to the noise of the  5 am furnace kicking up from 60 to 66 degrees instead of the local am radio station that goes one at 5:30 am that gently brought me to first mornings consciencess. To be able to rest in a bed in peace and quiet makes me one of the richest people ever.  I wish everyone had the ability to have a time of peace in every day and I hope to always be able to find way for Him in my every day.  The older I get the more He seems to be round every corner, in every fold and wrinkle.  I would like to say I follow Him or he follows me, but in reality is it more like He is ever present and reminding me of His awesomeness and it is shock and awe and all that, as well as, "Why do you bother with me when I am such a pain to deal with all and when I forget you are here in this place with me so often?".  

I think it started when I was a teen, I got the idea that the next day began at 6 pm the evening before.  And I had read that we should not go to bed angry, lest evil get a foothold in my life.  So on good days I would try to read and pray and sing into my sleeping hours in such a way that my mind and soul and relationships were ready for resting and the next day of workings.   

As a young adult, and even now I do not follow this practice religiously. It is so easy to let television, reading, tasks, worries, arguments, and a hundred other things take the place of setting time and place for Number One.   But in the end it bites to proceed without instruction and without utilizing provided support from the Master of it all. 

So today I begin again on the journey to harness my thought life in Him. From thoughts come the contents of the heart.

From thoughts come emotions and from emotions come actions, generally speaking with a few exceptions. 

And the mind is attached to all these intake devices that are designed to help us understand and process and utilize information. Glad this person is more than a computing device.  

And really appreciating the times and spaces that find His imprint imbedded and His voice spoken for one.   He helps. May each soul find rest in Him in all kinds of trouble today and everyday.  

May each peace and hope and fear and trauma be offered to Him in thanksgiving.