It's Party Time!

I am super pumped! I revealed in last post, Breakfast with Bono, that I struggle with having my time with God in the morning. Up till now God has allowed me to have my God-time anytime I could manage it, which usually wound up being at night or during my kids' nap time.

I've tried to do my God-time in the morning, but I've always given up. I'm just not a morning person, I insisted. There is no way I can have a meaningful interaction with God when I'm half asleep.

However, I'm praying the Prayer of Jabez for a month. If you haven't done this, I highly recommend it for those who want to play a significant role in the Kingdom of God. Part of the prayer is a petition for God to increase territory. I've earnestly prayed this for my writing ministry.

It became extremely apparent that a main factor in increasing my territory is for me to finally give God the first part of my day. In my previous post I explained that Jesus is way cooler than Bono, so I should be excited to wake up and talk with Him. Yet, it was still hard! What was I doing wrong? I carried a lot of guilt, thinking I just wasn't spiritual enough.

As I mulled over these things today at the grocery store, I thought of two of my friends. One friend loves her God-time in the morning. Her father used to wake up early in the morning with coffee, and she used to sit on his lap while he read his Bible. And now as an adult with three kids, she wakes up early, starts her pot of coffee and slowly sips the hot brew while reading her Bible.

My other friend is simply a morning person. One of her favorite verses is "This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118.24 NIV). She has most of her day accomplished before 7 o'clock in the morning! I'm just getting started by the time she's in full gear.

My mornings have almost never been peaceful or productive. When I taught high school, I woke up with just enough time to get ready and get to work on time. Now that I stay at home with my kids, I wake up to the laughter of my sons and the squeals of my daughter. No time to get ready for the day. My day simply begins.

As I walked down the tea and coffee isle comparing myself to my friends, I started feeling even more guilt (ploy of the enemy). I told this struggle to everyone and made myself accountable, yet I still couldn't seem to find the solution. I felt defeated and embarrassed. I stared at all the coffee, wondering if I should start drinking it in the morning. Maybe that would wake me up. I'm not a morning coffee drinker. I do like going to Starbucks, but that is mainly because I get a sugary-whipcreamy dessert beverage.

I decided to skip the coffee. I didn't think forcing myself to drink coffee in the morning was the answer for me (though, it might be for others). I started to leave the isle in a huff. On my way I spied a yummy box of chai tea. I adore chai tea lattes! That's what I can do! I'll have a cup of creamy, hot chai tea and drink it from my wonderfully imperfect mug! That would give me something tangible to look forward to!

I started to feel guilty again about this new crutch to help me get up in the mornings. Shouldn't Jesus be enough? But before I could dwell on it, I felt the Holy Spirit nudge me even further.

You could also have a whole wheat English muffin with some blueberry preserves? He whispered.

Oooooh, that would be good, I thought

And why don't you play some worship music in the kitchen too, He added.

Wow, God! That sounds like a party just for You and me! I exclaimed.

Precisely, He chuckled. I love parties.

That's when the truth dawned on me. I expected my time with God to be something wonderful without putting any effort in it. It's like having a birthday without a party. The party makes the birthday special. Without the party, it's just another day!

I was feeling guilty over nothing. God loves to party! He is the creator of them! Humans are the ones that have twisted something so wonderful into something that scars the human soul.

When God released the Israelites from Egypt, God commanded that they have parties to remember what He has done. In Exodus 12 God told the Israelites to throw parties so they would remember the Passover and the Feast of Unleaven Bread (Exodus 12.1-29). God wants us to enjoy His mercy and blessings, not just to think about them!

So tomorrow morning around 6am, I am going to have a party with God! I will play my newest WOW CD for 2010, heat up a nice cup of chai tea latte, smother a crispy English muffin with preserves, read my Bible and talk with my savior! I'm so EXCITED!!!

How about you? How do you make your time with God special? What can you do in the morning to celebrate your time with Him? I would like to hear your thoughts and ideas! Let the partying begin!


This post is dedicated to my morning party girls: Liette and Sunny!