MCC Pulse

“Let me hear Your loving kindness in the morning. For I trust
in You. Teach me the way in which I should walk, for I lift up
my soul to You.” Psalm 143:8 (AMP)

 

So often I begin my days thinking through all the things that need to be done and all the things I’ve left undone. Is this sometimes true for you too? Don’t get me wrong. I love knocking out a to-do list, but there are many days that I end up with a pile of unchecked boxes. Some days it feels like I’ll never be able to get enough done to feel at peace. There are loose ends that need tying up and balls that get dropped.

Beginning my days with the intention of accomplishing all the things on my list for the day usually sets me up for failure. It’s not that this intention is bad. It’s just that when I start my days like that, I end up measuring my worth by how much I get done or by how many boxes I check off that day; and if that’s where my worth or value is coming from, it is far from secure.

I love how the prayer in Psalm 143 flips all of that on its head. Instead of beginning my days with a goal I need to reach to prove my worth or value, I can begin my day remembering that I am a beloved child, held in the arms of Unfailing Love. Instead of putting my hope in my ability to handle “all the things,” I can put my hope in the One who holds all things together in the palm of His hand. What if the first thing we meditated on in the morning was God’s trustworthiness and His powerful ability to lead us by His Spirit at every turn? What if that was our starting place?

The good news for us is that it can be. Each morning, the sun comes up, reminding us that God’s unfailing love is waiting for us, and that His Spirit is able to show us the way we should go. A love like this? It won’t ever fail, no matter what the to-do list looks like. What might happen if we began our days drenched in the love of God and had open hands and hearts to simply go where He leads?

Ellie Holcomb