A Great Start

“A Great Start” by Don Emmitte Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch. (Psalm 5:1-3 ESV).

The web site says, “The crunchy flakes perfectly coated with sweetened frosting gives every morning a great start.” Mary prefers to have Multi-grain Cheerios for a breakfast cereal; and, with my sweet tooth, I like to have something a bit more sugary. Frosted flakes are my choice. After all, Tony the Tiger says “they’re Gr-r-reat!” I have been told on multiple occasions that I don’t like the things that are good for me. There’s something about not eating right that just tastes better to me. While I am not recommending that practice in life, it does seem to work for me in my choice of foods. And that brings me to today’s reading. A great start to the day really has very little to do with what we eat. Starting the day best ought to begin with a relationship to our heavenly Father. Some might protest they are simply not “a morning person.” And, it is true that the population is about evenly split between being a fast starter and not. Study after study have proven that a vast number of people don’t get going until about three o’clock in the afternoon. That’s when their creative juices start flowing and when they really feel alive. For me, the day begins much earlier. I am one of those people who follow a philosophy of “not burning daylight.” If the sun is up, I like to be up and going as well. Either way, night owl or early riser, let me suggest a great way to start your day. It begins with the declaration of David in our reading today. He says, “In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice (or prayer).” It makes sense to be in touch with the One who created the day. Why not begin your day by spending a few minutes alone with God each morning? Study God’s Word and share with Him through prayer your heart and your concerns. It will help get you in the right frame of mind. You’ll find your day will start and finish a whole lot better. Private devotions aren’t magic. We can be tempted to think that if we just figure out the secret formula, the right mixture of Bible meditation and prayer we will experience the joy of “real” communion with the Lord. And if that doesn’t happen, our formula must be wrong. We can learn from good marriages a great deal about our relationship with the Lord. It is the consistent, persistent, faithful, intentional, affectionate pursuit of one another during better and worse, richer and poorer, sickness and health that cultivates a capacity for delight in each other far deeper and richer than any other thing. Similarly, devotions are one of the ways we cultivate delight in God. Many days it may seem mundane. But we will be surprised at the cumulative power they have to deepen our love for and awareness of him. Develop your great start more and more this season.