Are you a list maker?
Do you write a to-do list every day just so you can mark off what you have accomplished?
Maybe you blog occasionally, or perhaps, you email friends and family daily. You probably write a Facebook post every now and then, right? All of us write something almost every day.
I do! Not everything I write is for a book or a blog, sometimes it’s just journaling or a to-do list!
But, before I begin to write, I do two things.
First, I take my smart pill! That’s what I call it, but it’s actually a brain vitamin that I take daily and I’ve got to say… I think it’s helping!! It has lifted some of my brain fog so I can think more clearly. Or, at least the placebo effect is making me think I am thinking more smarter! Ya think?! (BIG GOOFY GRIN)
But, a functioning brain needs a sensitive heart.
In writing, my big goal is to communicate with words to a person’s heart. That’s it. I just want God to give me a few sentences that will change a person’s day, or life. So, I take seriously preparing my heart for writing. Even if all I am about to write is a to-do list, I still need to prepare my heart because what I write on that list has the same potential of impacting someone’s day or, even, life.
No matter what you’re about to write, no matter what you do in life, you too need to prepare your heart to hear from God. He wants to whisper His love to you before all the loud voices of your day start shouting at you. Your heart needs to find its rest in Him before the stress of the day tries to wrestle you to the ground. So, if all you write today is your to-do list, prepare your heart before you write it because your to-do list could change someone’s life!
Even though I take my brain vitamin, my mind can still wander while I’m trying to focus my heart.
So, secondly, I made a “Prepare My Heart” playlist! I downloaded these ten songs to my iPhone and listen to them almost every morning — they really help my heart beat in rhythm with God’s.
So, if you’re like me and your mind tends to wander, here’s 10 songs to help your heart tune in:
(And, yes, there are some with the same titles, but different artists. Some are simply instrumental. I even listed them in the order I like because of the lyrical journey they take me on with some instrumental breathing room in-between. You can find them all on Amazon. See the box below to listen to a preview of each song.)
- Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing by Craig Duncan
- Be Still My Soul by Michael O’Brien
- Be Thou My Vision by Fernando Ortega
- Speak, Oh Lord by Keith and Kristen Getty
- Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing by Chris Rice
- Draw Me Nearer by Meredith Andrews
- Petition by Michael O’Brien
- Hymn Medley by Steve Bell
- The Lord’s Prayer by Michael O’Brien
- Holy Spirit, Living Breath of God by Keith and Kristen Getty
Tell me what songs help you prepare your heart — all of us would love to know!