Refreshing and Lasting

I'm not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination. It's best not to have a conversation with me until at least ten o'clock. By that time I'll have had two cups of tea or coffee and a refreshing glass of water. For the last six months, the time from sunrise to noon has evolved into something more than dread and crusty eyes. 

In the fall of 2015, I had the privilege of hearing a beloved Bible teacher speak at my boys' church youth group. He challenged the listeners to begin each day by drawing close to the Lord and implored the teens to avoid social media channels until they have immersed themselves in scripture. I took note. It was also around this time that the elders of my church encouraged the congregation to find a Bible reading plan and read through the Bible in a year. 

I decided to combine the two summons. YouVersion has a number of reading plans, and I signed up for the Chronological Bible reading plan. This tool takes you through the Bible in one year and takes into account the order of historical events. Reading the Bible like this make sense to me and I can finally connect the dots, especially concerning the Old Testament. Lately, I've enjoyed listening to the guy narrate the chapters. Otherwise, my eyes start to gloss over and I realize I'm no longer focusing on the words. 

About ten to fifteen minutes is the average time it takes me to complete a daily reading. It's a sweet and refreshing time. Each day I get to meet with the Creator of the Universe. I get to read and hear how God affected people and how He worked through people. I get to experience through inspired text how God loved people, protected them and guided them. I see myself in the stories of the Old Testament and breathe a sigh of relief that I'm not alone in my doubt, passivity, and stubborn nature. I see a thread of love that begins in the Old Testament and I look forward to seeing how it ends this fall when I finish with the reading plan. 

But, there's a genuine refreshing quality to learning about the character of God and experiencing God through the word every day. I've now developed a yearning for it, and carving out that time for the Lord quenches my thirst like fresh lemonade on a hot summer day. 

Refraining from social media until I've interacted with God through the Bible means that I don't get to Facebook or Instagram until much later in the day. Sometimes my "morning devotion" gets done at lunch, and so my Likes and Loves arrive in the late afternoon. And that's okay.

Earlier this week I showcased some luscious lemon bars made with invigorating and uplifting lemon essential oil. Lemon naturally evokes feelings of energy, optimism, and joy. This oil is usually diffusing when I'm home and it's used to affect mood, health and beauty. However, there's something refreshing and lasting about infusing scripture into my daily routine that I can't get from a bottle. I'm still not a morning person, but the hours before noon are filled with anticipation and contentment as I meet our creator through words of love. 

I'd love to hear how you manage to create time for Bible reading into your day!