Rise And Shine: Finding God Before Finding Your Coffee
Have you ever found yourself being grumpy when first getting out of bed day after day? You know the kind of tired mom grumpiness that I am talking about. It’s the one where you are practically crawling towards the kitchen to make coffee, as your kids give you their long list of requests they need you to help them with right away. That is where I found myself shortly after this last time change. I was realizing how day after day, I was a little grumpy for the first few hours of each morning. WHY though? As soon as I realized exactly what the problem was, I then quickly put into practice my solution for all those “before coffee grumps.” The tip that I am going to share with you today, has always been my quick go to when realizing I have been stuck in the “morning grumpy rut.” So, if this is where you find yourself, then please keep reading to join in the “Rise and Shine” challenge this week!”
Cultivating intentionality:
Bible Verse: Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report: if there is any virtue and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
In the book of Philippians, we see how Paul is writing to the congregation to tell them how he wants them to change their attitudes to one that is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, of good report, of good virtues, and worthy of praise. He was writing to them because they were NOT acting like this, and because of that, it lead to some division through two different women. This is the classic “our side and their side” situation, that is seen a lot when heart issues are present. Paul was wanting each of these women to think about where their hearts and minds were. He wanted them to become more intentional with their words AND actions, and instead make choices that reflect God. They were not intentional, and that is what lead to their division.
We also are living that same sinful and broken world right now, and because of sin, there will always be heart issues that we have to learn how to grow through. Being a Christian is all about making the choice to follow God, and making the choice to show more love to others. It’s all about relationships!!! We have to CHOOSE God and CHOOSE others over ourselves. And this congregation from the verse above, were NOT choosing God or others, and that was the whole issue.
So now, you are probably wondering HOW does this relate to the “morning grumpiness” that I recently found myself in? It related because just like how Paul was telling this congregation to CHOOSE to work on their attitudes, I also needed to do the same. I needed to CHOOSE this same list of things to work on for myself. I needed to CHOOSE this attitude before my feet hit the ground in the morning from getting out of bed. WHY? Because I needed to work on my attitude, and grow for the benefit of OTHERS! None of this was about MY tiredness at all, and that was the whole issue. I found myself in that grumpy stage because I was purposefully choosing to see only the negative, my tiredness. We can either grow and thrive or we can remain in the pre-coffee grumps. It’s all YOUR Choice! But we must make that choice before we even get out of bed in the morning!
Ideas for Cultivating Intentionality:
Before getting out of bed, pray for making the intentional God choices throughout the day. Pray for your attitude to be one that shows the type of Christ love that Christians are called to show. After praying that pray, remind yourself that as your feet hit the ground, you can either be someone that the devil is scared of, or someone he sees as a tool for spreading the negative throughout the world. Remember God wants us to make choices that go against the “norms” of the world, and our attitudes are one of those choices. So focus your attitude, faith, and love for others before even getting out of bed each day!
Conclusion:
So this week will you join me in the “Rise And Shine” challenge, and commit to praying for your attitude, choices, and relationships before even getting out of bed every day this week? Will you choose to be part of God’s team this week by intentionally choosing your attitude before your first cup of coffee? If we don’t intentionally choose a God centered attitude, then we are choosing the devils team. So what team will you pick today? Will you CHOOSE to find God before you find your coffee? God is the true support system in our lives, if only we lean on Him first!
About the Author: My name is Katie, and I’m a Church of Christ Preacher’s wife in Kentucky. I am also a proud homeschool mom to two brilliant boys. I love to craft, and make and bind my own notebooks. I also make a weekly podcast show called “Just Bible No Fluff",” where I skip all of fluffy extras and hop right into a short yet impactful exegetical study of the scripture. My mission and vision in life is this: “To empower women Spiritually by enhancing their skills in deep Bible study, equipping them to effectively teach the Gospel to others, and guiding them in cultivating Spiritual growth beyond the Church building.”