Heroic Homemaking Tip Tuesday: Starting the morning clinging to Jesus

I love mornings! I always have. I love sneaking downstairs while my family is tucked snuggly under their blankets. It's quiet and peaceful. I love heading into my "office" (currently one end of our dining room table) where my Bible, planner, notebooks, devotionals, and journal are in their places. A fresh day. Ready to listen and talk to my Heavenly Father.

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. ~ Psalm 5:3

Getting up early was something I learned at summer camp as a teenage girl. I was blessed to have camp counselors who loved spending time with Jesus and set an excellent example of making morning Bible study and prayer a priority in their lives. I'm grateful for their example, which became the bedrock of my teenage years spent getting to know my very best friend, Jesus, and His Word. My white alarm clock would buzz and I'd head to the kitchen for a glass of water. My sleek black cat Mindy, purring at my feet. I'd turn on the small lamp on my nightstand, grab my Bible, and dig into Truth. During the summer months, I'd take my Bible outside to watch the sun come up. The foundation was built for a life long love of mornings with the Lord.

Motherhood has changed my mornings a lot. Being awake all night with precious newborn babies or sick children, have taught me that as seasons change, so do my quiet moments with the Lord. Some days I've only read one verse in my Bible and spend most of my prayer time nursing a sweet baby. Even in the toddler years, it's hard to get mornings all to myself. My adorable 2-year-old Cora often wakes up early, ready for mommy snuggles, even wanting to be carried around the kitchen as I prepare breakfast or throw in a load of laundry. She clings to me. Her soft blond curls and chubby arms wrapped up in my love for her. Today, even my big kids always come downstairs wanting good-morning hugs and snuggles from mommy.

What if we approach mornings like our children do? Wanting to be held or hugged right away by our Heavenly Father. What if right when we woke up we called out for Him, longing to snuggle up in His love first thing in the morning? Before we start our adult tasks of checking our phones and running a hundred different directions. How would our lives change if we spent time clinging to Him each morning, just as our little children cling to us? 

Here are some ideas that have helped me get into God's Word during full seasons of motherhood:

1. If it's at all possible, get up even just 10 minutes before your children. Leave your Bible out on your nightstand or kitchen counter before you go to bed so you know right where it is! (Although having a Bible app on my phone has been a blessing when nursing a baby, it can also be tempting to check email or social media. So, also try to keep a hard copy of your Bible open, to focus on just spending time with the Lord.)

2. If your babies are up, don't get discouraged, read your Bible out loud. Even if it's just a verse. We need it and our children need to hear it too.

3. Ask the Lord to help you learn from Him, while you are reading to your children from their simpler versions of the Bible. Honestly, I think the Lord has worked just as much in my heart as I've read The Jesus Storybook Bible to my children, as He has in hours of Bible study on my own.

4. Write a Psalm or Proverb on a notecard and read that same scripture all week long; especially when you first wake up. Not only will you be meditating on God's Word, but you will also probably have it memorized and hidden in your heart by the end of the week!

5. If you have older children, explain to them how you need quiet time with the Lord each morning and that if they are early risers themselves, they should stay in their bedrooms  (reading, praying, drawing quietly) until the time you set for them to come out of their rooms. This may sound harsh, but it's a gift to them as much as it is to you. For my kids, this time is 7:00AM, but has fluctuated once in a while.

6. Maybe for your schedule, it makes more sense to study (dig into) God's Word during afternoon nap time or when everyone is tucked in at night. I still encourage you to at least read one scripture and pray in the morning before starting your day. Being in the presence of Jesus, even amidst a thousand mommy-to-do-lists and little ones clamoring for our attention, changes us. We need to cling to Him, just as our children cling to us!

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. ~ Mark 1:35