When I was a child, I thought my Grandmother was crazy… or enjoyed torturing us because EVERY MORNING she came into our rooms, flung the curtains open and sang with all her heart: “This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it!” But after reading today’s lesson, NOW I know why she did it!
The devil has had a heyday for the past 7 years – stealing my days and my time away from me by stealing my sleep at night, urging me to take a nap during the day. Almost every single day over the past 7 years I needed a nap and I ended up feeling frustrated because I did not get everything done that I wanted to each day. It also led me to an ever-greatening distance that was growing between me and God as I was always rushing to get everything done that I couldn’t do while napping and the next thing I knew, I did not have a daily time with God anymore. “No time” I told myself. “I’ll do it tomorrow” I reasoned. Then tomorrow after tomorrow, weeks after week, months went by with NO Bible study time, NO prayer life. I am sure the devil was celebrating as my depression grew!
The devil had put a giant snooze button on my days and my life – but starting this study has started a cycle of change that there is no going back on! If you have never thought about doing this study, you should! In the first week alone, my life changed so much – and that was BEFORE I learned that I was healed of my RA. Each day that I read, memorize the verses, spend time with God, and take the action steps, I get closer and closer to God – a place where I have been absent for far too long!
Today, I created my morning schedule and it was easy to stick to it because I had to get up at 4am today to get my youngest child ready for a long-distance field trip. However, being up this early gave me a chance to start my day on the right track. Within one hour of writing out my schedule, I had already found ways to refine it – with much of it being in 15 minute time blocks. When planned out in this way, it is so easy to see that there is time to get it ALL done; there is a way to get to do all the things I need and WANT to do.
I also did something that is reminiscent of those early morning wake-ups that my grandmother lovingly sang to us every morning. Now that Mommom is with Jesus, I miss those days – although at the time I did not appreciate them as much as I do now. So, I searched online and found a free MP3 of “This is the day that the Lord has made.” I downloaded it and added it to my cell phone’s ringtones. I set my daily alarms up so that when my phone’s alarm rings, I will hear the beautiful music of the song that I have grown to love. What a way to start my days – I cannot wait until tomorrow morning so I can start my day in song. (Thank you Mommom for setting such an amazing example of a child of God and a Proverbs 31 Woman!)
Dear Lord I Pray…Thank you Lord again for this study and the accountability sister you provided with Christina. She is an amazing encouragement to me – helping me to stay on track. I pray that I will be as much of an encouragement to her as she has been to me. Thank you also for the early start you gave me on my day today – I pray that I will have all the energy I need to get through my day WITHOUT needing a nap – for I see now that those naps are satan’s way of putting the snooze button on my life. May the evil one’s grasp be loosed today as I acknowledge that YOU have given me my life back. May I use the time and life you have given me in ways that are pleasing to you and that I will not be wasteful with these wonderful gifts you have given me.In Jesus’ Name,
Amen!