Pouring Myself a Cup of Ambition

Reflections on the potential and purpose for mornings.

Have you been there? On your way to work, in a rush, spill a splash of coffee on yourself, the air conditioner is too loud and you can't find a comfortable sound ratio between how blaring you want your music to be in comparison to the blasting air? Just me? Okay.

Dolly Parton said it best when she said, "Tumble outta bed and I stumble to the kitchen, pour myself a cup of ambition." There's sincere wisdom in that. Wake up, brew coffee. Amen. But doesn't that song, numerous cute signs at Hobby Lobby, and even verses in Scripture, all speak to the importance of the morning?

How we spend our morning matters and the intentionality there sets us up for the remainder of the day. These thoughts were bubbling up in me this last week as I contemplated how I started my day.

On The Wake Up List

My boyfriend calls each new morning being on the wake up list. His optimism and thankfulness are two of my favorite things about him. Levels me out real good.

It changes my attitude when I wake up and thank God for the fact I'm alive. My perspective is altered when Christ is acknowledged first and foremost, praying that the day would be done for His glory and I would decrease as He increases.

The problems and fears of yesterday are not brushed off as I bury my head in the sand, instead I am taking advantage of a new day with new mercies by the graciousness of a good God.

Reading Scripture

This is so important. There will be times and seasons where I fall out of doing this regularly but making a habit of it is life giving and paramount to our Christlikeness. It's okay if it looks different some days. Maybe I don't do a super deep study with commentary and Scripture memorization every morning, I shouldn't ignore that, but at the same time, I don't want to hold myself to check a box and guilt myself when I don't reach an unrealistic goal.

Many of my thoughts on mornings stem from this, so I'll shoot straight with you friends. Getting into Scripture every day is so purposeful. A devotional on the Bible app with a few friends, a continuation of the Bible study being worked through, the passage from the sermon over the weekend, a Psalm; Scripture is too easily accessible and too necessary to be stood up. The life changing, life giving, word of God has the power to transform.

Let's start our days reminding ourselves of and spending time with the God who put breath in our lungs. He is so worthy of that.

Kim Kardashian's House

Have you ever thought about the effect your phone has on you if that's where you start your day? I turn off my alarm and suddenly I'm on Facebook clicking on an article about why Kim K's monochromatic house is boring, then I'm on Instagram looking at Kim K's feed attempting to determine if the background of her selfies is this monochromatic house to prove whether the article is true or not. What the heck?

Think about this in respect to COVID-19 and the war on racial injustice. These are things to keep an eye on and prayerfully consider, no doubt, but if I'm waking up to the bad news of the world above all, my day may look a little bleak.

Commute To Be Treasured

Driving to work sparked the desire for this post. The more I rushed, the louder I turned the music, the more anxious I was when the parking lot welcomed me. The days to follow I started pacing myself, being thankful, reading the Word, and maneuvering to work in complete silence. Yup, I didn't even play Chris Renzema. Shocker.

Instead, the time was used to consider all that was to come in the day. Taking advantage of the silence meant spending time with the Lord in a different way than worshipping through song.

I asked the Lord to bless the work I put my hands to. I wanted Him to make me dependent on Him. I thanked Him for being good. I petitioned Him to keep me close. I prayed back Scripture I read that morning and examined how it could be applied by the work of the Spirit.

Will this be me every morning? Um no. I'm not perfect, worship music is a grand ole time and me running late is commonplace, but it's sobering to step back and see what my heart and mind are prioritizing.

Dolly Parton continued her ballad by singing, "Jump in the shower and the blood starts pumpin. Out on the street the traffic starts jumpin, with folks like me on the job from nine to five."

Our jobs and commitments are real things. Our fears and anxieties are often real, too. But thank God the Gospel is real and life-altering. I posit before you my reasonings, failings, and hopes in an effort to encourage you to regard your mornings as notable instances to meet with Christ and to be thankful. I am right there with you.

Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Psalm 143:8