I often get the question, “How do you do it all?”, especially since we doubled our family overnight.  So, I want to be very clear, I don’t!  I absolutely do not “do it all”, quite honestly most days I leave more of my to-do list unchecked than checked. (I know that drives us Type A mommas crazy to even read)   My busy life is all about priorities, there is one thing that I never put on a to-do list, because it is not optional, I can’t put it on a list and run the risk of it being left undone because, that would surely leave me undone.  Quiet time with the Lord; reading His written Word, praying, pondering on things of Him, reading books that encourage my faith, these moments are a must in my hectic schedule, and they hold tender mercies that fill me up so that I may be poured out like an offering the rest of the day.   The things that fill our mornings set the tone for our entire day, and quite honestly they set the tone for our husband and children’s day too.

Today was a perfect example of what happens if I don’t fight to protect my quiet time with the Lord, and I rush through my morning, and my crazy to-do list without first seeking Him.  Oh boy, here is another dose of keeping it “real” on my blog.  I imagine if my family was on a reality tv show, that the commercials leading up to the Season Premiere of the “McBogan Family” (our blended family nickname), would include images of my face distorted, barking orders at my children, still in my pj’s, and hair a crazed mess,  as I’m spilling food and coffee all over the kitchen, in my crazy morning rush!  Oh ya, it would be beautiful.

In my frantic rush of trying to get my darling husband out the door at 6:30 am with a cup of coffee, breakfast, lunch, and a loving kiss goodbye, followed by,  making six more healthy lunches, getting dinner into the crockpot, rushing my teenager out the door at 7:20 for High School, feeding, clothing, and doing the hair of four more kiddos then, reminding them to feed the dog, the fish, and the lizard; to make their beds and to find their shoes, and jackets and to get in the car, all while trying to make myself presentable for work; I lost my cool and I was a hot mess.  Oh, I can see the reality show trailer now, the freeze frame of my crazed face with a caption “tune in Mondays at 8 for a new season of the McBogan family-Frantic Chaos for your viewing pleasure!”

An early morning appointment took an hour out of our normal weekday schedule and it felt like it took three hours out of our schedule.  It caused such a rushed, chaotic morning, and it lacked loving kindness on my tongue, and God was not even finished yet.  On the way to several different drop-offs of children my car broke down 15 times, yes I said 15 times ladies and gentlemen. Repeatedly my car died, mid-freeway, mid-intersection, just died, no power at all, and a little light came on that said “Reduced Engine Power”.  Perfect!  As I stopped with my hazard lights on staring at that “Reduced Engine Power” light, angry drivers honking at me, kids yelling they were going to be late to camp, I called my husband frustrated and feeling helpless, and then I hung up and couldn’t help but laugh at the irony.   Oh what a mess of a morning, and what a thick skull I have!  Thank you for the reminder God, that I was running on reduced engine power.

Mornings, sweet precious mornings, are the start of a new beginning.  Lamentations 3:22-23 reminds us that the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases and His mercies are new every morning.  His loving kindness is a resting place for us to be renewed each and every day friends.  When we fight to carve out time in our busy schedules and seek Him first by reading His Word and delighting in His truth, he meets us there and fills us with everything that He knows we will need for the day.  “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you”  Psalm 119:11.  Oh, the strength and beauty that comes from hiding God’s truth in our hearts.  “…For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” Luke 6:45.  Then, loving kindness and the law of grace can be on our tongues with the children God has entrusted us to train up in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6), and with the husband that God has called us to love and respect (Ephesians 5).

When I’m faithful to spend time with my Father in Heaven every morning, he is intimate in his love for me, he heals my brokenness, restores my hope, fills me with joy, and covers me in his armor so I can be victorious in life’s battles.  God is so lavish in his love that He doesn’t even stop there, he has given me the most beautiful moments with my children as well.  Especially with my sweet D, he is my early riser and lover of the Bible.  With the exception of crazy mornings like today, my children know where to find me when they wake-up, I’m always cuddled up by the window with a blanket, a cup of coffee, and my Bible.  Most of the kiddos come greet me with a hug, then they go about their morning.  But, D always snuggles in next to me with his own Bible and reads the word of God.  He loves our morning time together and enjoys teaching his siblings about the verses he reads.  It’s precious, it’s a gift to my often weary momma heart.  I encourage you to make morning quiet time a high priority in your life, one that doesn’t go on a to-do list but that is a life line that your whole day hinges upon.  God will meet you there sweet friends 🙂

O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You;  My flesh longs for You; In a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.  Psalm 63:1