Beloved,
Have you ever had an off morning?
Here is a sketch of my ideal morning: up at 4:25am, piping hot French Press, write for an hour, commune with God through the word and prayer, do a brutal work out, and take an ice-cold shower. This is what I call a power morning. A strong morning sets one up for a strong day.
But that was not the morning I had today. Instead, I woke up to the sound of Canon and Vos chattering in their room. “Surely they wouldn’t be playing before 4:00am,” I thought to myself. I pulled off my sleep mask, walked across the room to my phone, and made the alarming discovery that it was almost 6:30am (I apparently forgot to set my alarm). My flesh screamed, “The day is ruined!” But I took a deep breath, shot up a prayer to God, and proceeded to the kitchen to make some coffee and to get straight into the word.
I got to the church later than usual without having worked out or made any progress on my current writing project. But I was determined to not allow the off morning to define my day. Through a series of circumstances, however, I ended up locking myself out of the church with both church keys inside. “You’ve got to be kidding! God, don’t you know how much I have to do today?!”
Yes, I had an off morning. It could have been more off. No 911 call or flat tire or throw up. But it was off nonetheless. And it has made for a far less productive day than I had hoped. Sometimes, however, it takes an off morning to expose an off heart. I didn’t realize how stressed I was. I didn’t realize how much my soul was in the grip of a works-based, idolatrous form of productivity. I didn’t realize how important and indispensable I thought my mornings were and my work was. It took an off morning to show me that, and for that I am most thankful.
Life often doesn’t go as we desire or expect. But it is in those times that God has the best lessons to teach us. God knew it was far more important for me to see my sinful frame of heart then for me to finish my to-do list today. What a wise Heavenly Father we have! Truly, His mercies are new every morning, whether it be a power morning or an off morning.
And perhaps His mercies are renewed most especially in the off mornings.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Nick
