Off to a good start

How do you start each and every day? Do you crawl out of bed and head to the shower? Do you throw some clothes on and run to class? Do you look for the nearest source of caffeine? Do you check your email, grab your cell phone, or plug in the Ipod?

I'm not a morning person. My clock radio goes off and I hear the news, and then I drag myself out of bed and go through the motions of getting ready for the day (and getting my kids ready as well). Lots of people fall into this same category. If someone is cranky, then we might ask if they got up on the wrong side of the bed. And that led me to thinking, what is the best way to start our day?

I know that most college students are not morning people either. There is actual physiological evidence that shows bodies of that age range do not function as well as a little later in the morning. It is important how we begin our days - especially on those days we dread.

We know as Christians that we are called to be a thankful people. In all things, we are to give thanks. Not only should we give thanks, we should also ask for blessings for others - especially those with whom we do not get along, who might even be our enemy. If we begin our days with a thankful heart, and by asking for blessings for other - that will set the tone for the rest of the day. It might be even a little easier to roll out of the bed and face the day.

For the next week, I encourage you to spend a few minutes when you first awake and think about thanks and blessings. Find 5 things for which you are thankful, and thank God for them. Then find 5 people who need a blessing (whether you personally know them or not), and ask God to bless them. This won't take very long each morning, but it will help ensure that we get up on the right side of the bed and that our first footsteps are in the path Jesus set before us.