A Made Bed

"You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 16:11

My day begins when I hear Dana pass through our bedroom on his way to the living room for his morning quiet time. As soon as I am conscious, I whisper "Good morning", to the Lord and thank Him for another day. I make my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth and rinse the night off my face, comb my hair and change from my night clothes to comfy pajamas.

Upon entering back into my bedroom I make my bed. This is a huge part of my good intention to begin my day. I have been making my bed as early as five years old and before that, I can't remember (you'll have to ask my Mama). To me making my bed each morning is like hearing the gun sound at a race track (it gets me going). I can't not make my bed, whatever bed it is, wherever I am, I will always make the bed. An unmade bed is like having an itch I can't scratch, you know, the one right between your shoulder blades that no matter how you contorte your arm your not going to reach it. That is how I feel walking around knowing that the bed I slept in last night is unmade.

I make my way to the kitchen, passing behind Dana, sitting in his chair and gently touch the top of his head to say good morning (for I don't have many words in the first moments of my day). I then make his breakfast (usually a big bowl of oatmeal), pack his lunch and get his coffee mug ready for his drive to work. I pour myself a big mason jar full of warm, lemon water to start my day.

We say our 'goodbyes' and 'have a good days' and as soon as the door closes behind him I find myself navigating through the house toward 'my chair'. The one I sit in every morning with my Bible and prayer journal opened in my lap. It is perfectly quiet in the house. I look toward the windows and see the breeze blowing through the trees and hear an occasional bird sing a melody. My mind and body is transported into this cocoon I have built for myself to just be still and quiet for a moment. There is nothing like stillness in the early morning hours. A peace so easily comes over me. I ask God to meet with me; to allow me to sit with Him during this time. I long for His presence.

Sometimes the peaceful, easy feeling is hard to find, depending on where my head is at that time. You see, I have a hard time clearing my mind of all that clutters it. I am hardly ever not thinking of anything. Usually my mind is filled with my family; friends; my life; my home; my 'to do' list; a conversation I had or will have. I sometimes catch myself thinking about thinking about something. My mind is rarely ever idle. And don't let me get started with when I begin talking to myself...out loud. But that has nothing to do with this.

Now back to the point of how I believe setting good intentions are vital for having a successful day no matter what your day holds. I have had a morning quiet time since I was a young mama. The time and place has changed over the years of course but the end result is always so refreshing and fulfilling. Now starting my day without my time with the Lord is like me having an unmade bed. I need it to straighten all the wrinkles in my life and smooth all the areas I may have messed up the day before. To reset all that might have gone wrong and give me new eyes for the day ahead. The Lord calms me and sets me up with a more positive mindset to face whatever the day may bring.

"You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence." (Acts 2:28)

Setting good intentions all throughout our day brings clarity to the goals and dreams we have. The little things we do add up to big things. Now I'm not saying you should start making your bed everyday if you don't but maybe there are ways you can begin to start setting some good intentions on getting your day off on the right foot.

Try setting intentions today with your work, your relationships, your time spent with the Lord in however way He leads, and maybe your acknowledgment of the intention will be the power to affect results.

I love you & He loves you more!

Lord, Thank You for another day. For love and grace and mercy. Thank You for meeting me right here in my quiet time; speaking to me and listening. Being present even when my mind is not. May I be consistent at setting good intentions and striving to follow through. In Jesus' name. Amen.