22 Days In...

...and I'm thankful that every morning of this new year, I've been able to arise when my alarm goes off and spend time with God first thing, before the rest of the day's activities begin.  After three weeks of this, it should be a habit by now, right?  :)

I have recently developed a problem, however.  I'm getting so used to the gentle sound of my alarm clock's first ding that I don't even hear it.  This morning, for example, Jeff--who unfortunately, does hear the alarm--had to wake me up.  Hopefully my mind will do a better job this week of tuning into that sound so I can respond quickly and hop out of bed before the second ring.

As smoothly as this has gone, it's almost hard for me to remember how nervous I was about it, about making this public commitment to a consistent wake-up/devotional time.  My faith was shaky, to say the least.  But I've discovered again how faith-building it is to take on a challenge and conquer it.  Seeing growth produces zeal for more growth!  So many times, I feel like my growth is occurring at such a snail's pace that I wonder if I'm even moving in the right direction at all.  In times like that, it is incredibly helpful to remember past obstacles that have been surmounted.  For example (and this is kind of embarrassing for me), ever since we moved here back in 2005, I have had a TERRIBLE problem with accumulating a towering mountain of paperwork and assorted "junk" on one of the counters in my kitchen.  I truly felt like I would never be able to get rid of that mountain--and what's more, keep from building it again.  I could just picture my children sorting through it after my death someday and them saying to each other, "Our crazy mother!  Why in the world did she keep receipts from way back in 2011, and here's the owner's manual for a CD player that started working 30 years ago, and look, I found a note in childish writing that says, 'I love you, Mom.' But it doesn't say which one of us wrote it or when, so it's into the trash heap for it.  I sure wish Mom had done a better job of getting rid of junk!"

Somehow, although I'm still not sure how, things clicked for me in this area towards the end of last year, and amazingly, I've been able to keep that counter almost completely clutter-free.  For me, that accomplishment is HUGE--nearly as big as being able to get up on time every morning to spend time with God.  For others, it might not seem like much.  For me, these are two of the earth's highest peaks, and I--with God's ever-present help--have climbed them.

But here's the thing:  as I practice this habit of Arising and this part of my schedule becomes more disciplined, I see other areas to work on--bedtime, for example!  Too many nights, I'm still hanging on to the peace and quiet of a darkened, still house and time to read and write all by myself.  :)  I still need to figure out how to get myself into bed earlier.  Sigh... But one mountain at a time!  :)

And speaking of mountains...  I wasn't familiar with this song before this year began, but I discovered it while doing a search for songs with the word "arise."  The scenery is impressive, to say the least.  Doesn't it just make your spirit soar to witness the majesty and beauty of God's creation?