What’s the first thing you reach for in the morning?
Be honest. Is it your phone? Your to-do list? The noise of the world?
For so long, mine was. I’d wake up, reach for my phone, and within seconds, my brain was full of messages, news alerts, worries, and schedules. But I’ve learned (slowly) that how I start my morning sets the tone for everything else. It shapes my mood. My focus. My ability to love people well.
Jesus modeled a different rhythm. After a long, exhausting day of teaching, healing, and helping, He got up early. Not to do more, but to be with God. Mark 1:35 tells us, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”
He didn’t run on adrenaline—He stayed rooted in presence.
I’m Learning to Do the Same.
That quiet time? It’s not a box I check. It’s how I survive. How I show up for people. How I remember who I am and what really matters.
Here’s what I’ve been learning:
- Start small. Just 5-10 minutes. You’re not trying to impress God—you’re trying to meet with Him.
- Pair it with a habit. I stack my quiet time with my morning coffee (which honestly feels sacred on its own).
- Name your emotions. Seriously. I’ve started using a “feeling wheel” to identify what’s really going on inside. It’s changed how I pray.
- Let it be messy. If you fall asleep while praying—okay. If your mind wanders—okay. Just come back. Grace is still there.
I don’t want to be one of those Christians who “believes” in grace but never lives it. I want to be someone who is so rooted in God’s presence that grace naturally overflows—into my relationships, my work, my community.
That kind of transformation starts in the quiet. And it always leads back to people.
So here’s what I’m inviting you to do:
Give God your first 10 minutes tomorrow morning. No pressure. No guilt. Just an invitation. Grab a devotion. Open a Psalm. Sit in silence. Whatever it looks like for you—just start.
Because when we’re still enough to hear God’s voice, we’ll be bold enough to follow it. And that’s where grace gets real.
