Can I Have a Good Morning No Matter What? [Episode 67]

What’s the first thing on your mind in the morning when you wake up?

I asked my Facebook friends this question, and I got over 500 comments!

Many replied that their first thought is thankfulness. But, lots of you said some form of anxiety was the first thing on your mind. One of you wrote, “I wake up and mentally go over everything I need to get done during the day—for myself and many others.”

The only arms strong enough to carry your sin, sorrow, mistakes, and burdens are the arms of Jesus. [Click to Tweet]

And then, there’s Betsy! We can all use a little Betsy in our attitudes first thing in the morning.

She said, “The minute my feet hit the floor, I say: ‘This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it because I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength because the joy of the Lord is my strength.’ It makes ALL the difference about how my day goes from there … no matter what!!!”

Janessa said, “Usually, I’m fighting an attitude of aggravation because of multiple times getting up, not being comfortable, toddler not wanting to sleep on his own … pretty soon we’ll have a newborn to add to the mix and I think I’m valuing sleep much too highly for my own good.”

One dear woman, Cheryl, wrote that when she wakes up, “I try to figure out what day it is,” and then her first thought is, “I can’t believe this is my life.” Her husband passed away seven months ago.

God’s mercies are new every morning, so don’t wake up with the old condemnation weighing you down. [Click to Tweet]

There was such a variety of responses, and they represent how we all feel. Some days, we are like Betsy. But, other days, we feel like Janessa or Cheryl.

On today’s 4:13 Podcast, we’re going to talk about how to have a good morning no matter what. We’ll give you three things you can do. You’re going to love how practical this is! Plus, you’re sure to laugh at how funny some of the comments are that we share.

3 Ways to Have a Good Morning No Matter What

Before you go to bed, unburden. Good mornings start the night before in your heart and your head. So, unburden yourself before bed. When you take off your dirty clothes from the day, think of how you are removing the regret and burden of the day.
Good or bad, it can’t all fit in bed with you. It will weigh you down and keep you up. So, pile up your regrets and purge them from your thoughts. Philippians 3:13-14 says, “… one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

God makes all things new. His mercies are new every morning, so don’t wake up with the old condemnation weighing you down. Scripture says, “There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). So, lump that old condemnation and drop it! When you do, the pile of regret, negativity, lies, and shame lands on Jesus. The only arms strong enough to carry your sin, sorrow, mistakes, and burdens are the arms of Jesus.
Before you get up, fall down. When you wake up, sometimes you may think, “No way, I can’t do this one more day.” On those days, fall before your Father in prayer and praise, giving Him your whole day. Scripture says, “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken” (Psalm 55:22).
The ultimate fall happens in your heart when you yield your entire self to Him. God will find you there in your weakness and lovingly lift you, reminding you of what the prophet Isaiah wrote, “How can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? Don’t you know that the Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary.… He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak” (Isaiah 40:27–29).

If you make sure that your first fall every morning is the one in which you surrender yourself entirely to Him, you will find the strength to get up and have a good morning even during a hard season.
Before you get frustrated, get a plan. Routines matter, so establish a morning plan and then stick with it. Here are some tips on how to create your routine.

Choose a consistent wake-up time to help your body establish rhythms.
Create a hierarchy or an order of what you do and when.
Have easy breakfast options on hand to avoid the “what should I eat” stress.
Leave at the same time every day, or if you work from home, start at the same time.
Come up with a “not-to-do” list of things that take away from your ability to pull off your morning in the way you want.
Replace the draining and distracting with the positive and productive. For example, replace worrying with praying.
Don’t hit snooze on your alarm because research shows that dozing off again leaves you more tired.
Take a deep breath because researchers found that we are usually low on oxygen in the morning.
Make yourself stretch and get your body physically ready to take on the day victoriously.

Be creative when it comes to a routine. You can do this!

Friend, none of us can have a good morning if we wake up stressed out or create stress first thing. It sucks our productivity and our overall well-being. You can’t focus well, and you’re exhausted before 9:00 a.m. So, the best way to have a good morning no matter what is to prepare in advance.

And, remember, no matter what you face when you wake up in the morning, you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength!

Related Resources

Books and Bible Studies by Jennifer Rothschild

Links Mentioned in This Episode

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