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[alert color=”black”]TODAY’S READING – Part 4 – Step 4: Take Action (Pg. 190 – 201)[/alert]

Somehow from the depths of your sleep, you awoke this morning. Was it an alarm that interrupted your peaceful slumber, the cry of your child or something altogether different?  No matter the reason your eyes popped open, more than likely your humanness begged for another fifteen minutes of shut-eye.

I know that when I peer out of one eye to see the time each morning, I rarely greet the day with cheerful thoughts.  My mind immediately jumps to the days tasks and calculations of how many times I can hit snooze and still have enough time to shower and make it to work on time.

But what if we changed the first five minutes of each morning to reflect on the miracle that our eyes did open to another day?

It used to be my standard to shut off my alarm and immediately tap my Facebook icon on my iPhone. For countless months I was being bombarded by the inevitable war waging inside of comparison or the influx of negativity immediately upon waking, and it was tearing me up.  Instead of simply resting in the beauty of a new day and the promise that God brings joy in the morning, I was filling my mind with the garbage of this world.

Then came the Jesus Calling app, which many of you have seen posted almost daily for the past year on the Imperfect Vessel’s Facebook page.  Instead of immediately turning to the thoughts and going’s on of this world, I have accepted a personal challenge to read this short daily devotion before doing anything else. Sometimes before hitting snooze!

It has transformed my mornings.  It’s like my daily vitamin, filling me with the goodness that my body (my heart and my soul) needs to make it through another day.

I doesn’t seem like much, especially since I sometimes have to reread it after I’ve gone through my morning routine because I was lazy and read it half awake with one eye barely propped open. Just the chance to start my day with truth and words from my Creator has been life changing.

“Choosing purpose doesn’t mean our days will be perfect; it means they will be meaningful, no matter what comes our way.” 

It is my prayer, and my challenge for you, to take action this week and purposefully choose how you can intentionally spend the first five minutes of your day going forward.  Maybe daily devotionals aren’t your thing or you don’t have a smartphone.  No biggie!  Here are some ideas of how you can proactively choose purpose each day:

• This could be a time that you grab your Bible and flip open to your favorite verse or begin reading where you left off last.
• You could, with your eyes open (so you don’t run the risk of dozing off), take this time to talk with God.  Thank Him.
• Spend a few minutes journaling.  This could be on a topic that you discovered in a list online or just what is on your heart.

As Lara says, “The little by little adds up”, so even though five minutes doesn’t seem like much time to be really productive or even worthwhile, this intentional time spent communing with God could be that one thing that helps you remain grounded and more focused throughout the remainder of your day.

These five minutes may lend you inspiration to tackle that to do list before you or even have the courage to take that leap of faith in making things happen.  It could provide the solid foundation you’ve been looking for to prepare for a more focused future, where you seek out living for the things that matter most and more intentionally pursuing the tugs on your heart from the One that created you.

Does this shift in your approach to the day make you nervous? Don’t allow it to.  The emails, the coffee and the endless stream of run on sentences and bad grammar on Facebook will still be there. They can wait.

Lara provides so many fantastic questions to get you started on this new proactive approach.  She asks these to get you thinking about your typical schedule, what your five essential tasks for a purposeful life are, what three things you can do to set yourself up for success and how you can prepare for greatness.

Let’s just put it this way.  There’s no room for failure here.  Now that’s not to say that perfection is expected.  Absolutely not!  What I’m saying is that with the guidance of Lara’s thoughtful questions and your first five minutes devoted to seeking guidance from the Lord, how can you go wrong?

“Remember, it’s not about rules or being perfect or our own efforts, it’s about living in response to grace.”

What will your response be to this call to action?  Will you accept the challenge and devote your first five minutes to further developing your relationship with Jesus?

I can’t wait to hear how it turns out!

For the journey ahead…

Sidewalk Prophets is one of my favorite groups of Christian artists. Their songs always speak to my heart in powerful (often tear-filled) ways.  I was so excited to come across this devotional from the lead singer of the group that I think lends so perfectly to what this chapter is saying.

Be sure to check out Youtube for the rest of their devo series!

[divider type=”dashed” color=”grey”] [row-start] [three-fourths]Bree Blum is a 32 year old cardigan-wearing blogger who loves Jesus.  She lives in Wheeling, WV where she serves in her church as a sign language interpreter and works full time as an Administrative Assistant for a technology firm.  She has a passion for women’s ministry and speaking life into others despite her own introverted tendencies.

You can connect with her on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.[/three-fourths] [one-fourth][/one-fourth] [row-end]