Faith | How do you start your day? Try these new habits with God

How to start the day?

For me, coffee satisfies my need for some wake-up help, a little liveliness to start the day. But I have fallen into habits that are not soul-satisfying, not life-giving.

I’m working on embracing better possibilities.

Habit: Check the weather via the app on my phone.

Better: Step outside. Scan the sky for clouds, let my hair tell me what the wind is doing, look toward the rising sun and greet the day. Whatever the weather, give thanks to God for the gift of this day.

Habit: Look for “breaking news” emails to see what power plays and threats are foremost this morning.

Better: Say prayers of thanksgiving to God for the gift of life, even with all its challenges.

Habit: Get distracted on my computer by “clickbait” that takes me down rabbit trails of curiosity, shopping urges, fear, anger.

Better: Leave the computer closed. Be still for a few minutes, sitting or standing or even walking in the early morning quiet. Give my attention to the beauty of flowers and trees, the sound of birds, even the hum of traffic as people head to jobs or school. Start the day with the authentic voice of the God of love and truth. God speaks though creation and community.

Habit: Review the day’s to-do list.

Better: Start with my prayer list.

Habit: Ask God to take care of these people and situations.

Better: Ask God to guide my response to the needs of friends and community. Then take time to listen! God may not speak in words, but in urgings that appear in heart and mind as the day unfolds. Have a conversation with God about how I will use this day, in what a favorite prayer calls “the thoughts of my heart.”

Replacing poor habits with better ones brings a change in my daily orientation. Focus moves from “another day” to “a day the Lord has made”; making my relationship with God more the center of my days, increasing my awareness of every day’s sacred possibilities.

It works for a while but like those sheep that appear in many Biblical stories, I stray.

This time it feels different, my intentions moving from “I’ll try harder” to “I will with God’s help.”

Why do I keep sliding back into thinking that I’m in control and everything depends on my grit and determination? God isn’t going to live my life for me, but we are in this together!

This time I’m building into my day an ongoing conversation with God.

Like any authentic conversation, I need to do at least as much listening as talking. In words, in feelings, in silence, I’m building my awareness of God’s ongoing presence with me.

In my church we recently read the Bible story about the Good Shepherd. We heard that the flock knows the Good Shepherd’s voice and will follow only him. In a world over-populated with people who seem to be leading lemmings over the cliff rather than leading the flock to green pastures, I want to be sure I know the real shepherd’s voice.

AI is very good at imitating voices, so starting the day in conversation with the authentic voice of God matters! And coffee, of course.

The Rev. Jan Griffin is a retired priest in the Episcopal Church, serving as a board and committee volunteer in her diocese and affordable housing facilities. Questions and comments should be directed to editor Lucy Luginbill in care of the Tri-City Herald newsroom, 4253 W. 24th Avenue, Kennewick, WA 99336. Or email lluginbill@tricityherald.com.