Spiritual Director · February 3, 2015

Are you a morning person?

Good Morning Friends:

Are you a morning person? I’m told there are two kinds of people: those who wake up and say “Good God, it’s morning..” and those who wake up and say “Good, God, it’s morning”. Two perspectives I think and a comma makes all the difference. I’m a morning person as I age I’m finding the evenings getting “shorter” at least as far as energy is concerned!

In driving my high school son to school this morning he reminded me he is not a morning person and my jokes, quips, comments, and quoting lines from our favorite TV show wasn’t helpful. He just wants quiet and that’s ok. I understand we all have our best parts of the day. These are the times when we get the most done, are the most alert and awake, and have the energy for what is ahead. And, likewise, I’m sure we all have those times in the day when we do not have the energy, we are not alert and don’t get much done.

For ultimate success, say those who know, is to put the most important tasks in place to be at our best times of day. In healthcare I am aware that often it doesn’t seem to matter when our peak time of day is, everything is urgent. Patient care can’t wait until you “feel like it” or reach your best time of day! And in our beloved Via de Cristo is there ever a “best time” to be on team? I’m sure all of us have agreed to serve only regretting the decision as team meetings and the weekend itself approach. This is where the evil one takes great pride in bringing us down, changing minds, stressing out the schedule, etc. God’s time is never our time, but we just know “God is good, all the time…”

Of course, the spiritual life is similar. Tired in the evening? Try having morning prayer time while you drive. Really hard to read your Bible? Be flexible, read a verse on your phone, take your Bible with you. A friend of mine does his Bible reading in his truck at lunch time. The factory where he words doesn’t allow him to bring the Bible inside! Study, piety and action need some work? Please “grace” yourself and do not “grade” yourself. God always starts today. That’s why we give thanks for yesterday’s forgiveness in Christ and the promise of God in our tomorrow’s so we need not be anxious. We can always begin again. And through it all our God is always there, anytime day or night, and knowing that can make all the times of the day our best times. We are not alone, God is with us!

“The steadfast love of the Lord never stops, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning, great is God’s faithfulness”

Lamentations 3:22-23

 Amen!  Have a blessed week…..is the end of July a good time to travel? Why not? Make arrangements right now and lock in on our National Gathering in Moline, Illinois! Check out www.viadecristo.org for more information. God loves you and so do I,

Pr. Doug

Pastor Doug Givan

Staff Chaplain

Clay, Brazil

Seton, Indy

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Eric is our current Webmaster and works on the NLS Communications Team. Raised in Judaism, he found Christ and the New Testament at age 16 in a Southern Baptist Church. He searched many denominations for the real church, only to find the Holy Spirit is present in all of them. He's worked for One for Israel, a group of native Israeli believers who are sharing the gospel in the holy land in Hebrew and is part of the only Hebrew speaking seminary in Israel.