Skip to main content

Coffee with Jesus

 Someone asked me the other day why I get up so early in the morning. Is it a choice? “You set your alarm for 5:00am?” I think the implication was there really wasn’t a reason for it. I don’t have an outside job to get to. I don’t have kiddos at home that require getting fed and sent off to school. So, why the urgency to get on with the day?

 I explained my reasoning and how it had become a habit which has now developed into a lifestyle. It hadn’t always been this way. In fact, I remember sleeping in until my husband kissed me good bye in the morning on his way to work. I had even bought him a little pop up light for his sock drawer so he wouldn’t wake me with the over head light while trying to match up his socks. He still had a few failures that he would notice midday with unmatched socks. 

 I learned to enjoy mornings several years ago when I did have to get to work early. I love watching the sunrise and the world wake up. There is just something about the hope in a brand new day. I especially loved serving people coffee in the wee hours at Starbucks when I worked there. 

 But really what began as a habit of early to bed early to rise began when my relationship with Jesus started. I wanted to truly get to know Him. We also had a lovable yellow lab at the time and she would wake me to eat. One day I found myself not wanted to go back to bed but drawn into our office and on my bookshelf sat my Bible that had barely been cracked. I picked it up for the first time and randomly opened it. God showed Himself to me that day but also revealed where my heart was. I asked Him to change me that morning and I committed to spending my first waking hour with Him daily from there on out.




 So, began my journey of coffee with Jesus. I remember when my alarm would go off. I was excited and couldn’t wait to hear what He had to say and to show me. I prayed that He would help me to apply it to my life and He did. I marked all over in my bible and found myself going back to it throughout the day. I can say with confidence that this one spiritual discipline has impacted my life more than anything else. 

 Although the newness over the years has worn off. I am still committed to setting my alarm to have coffee with Jesus. Interruptions happen, whether that be, my husband gets up and joins me, the coffee pot malfunctions or Annie pukes on the carpet. life happens and things will come up because Satan doesn’t want me spending time in my bible and praying. There are days, when I feel like I am simply going through the motions and don’t “feel” the presence of God. But that doesn’t mean He isn’t there. 

 When I get alone with Him first thing, it sets my heart and attitude in the right place for the day. It helps to take the focus off of myself and my agenda and puts it on God and what He would have for me today. Beginning with serving my husband with a grateful heart and helping him to get off to a great start of his day. Oh, it may shift by noon or even 9:00 am but I love how this discipline has become not just a habit but a lifestyle. I look forward to the early mornings with Jesus and my coffee. 

 For me, it is like anything else in life. Anything worth achieving takes discipline. If I want to have a finished product in my writing I have to schedule time, open up my laptop and write. I can’t wait until I feel like it. If I want those clothes in my closet to fit I need to commit to cleaning up my eating habits and get to my exercise group. And if I truly want to see a heart transformation I need to spend time with the only One who is able to make that happen. 

Pressing On 


Your word is a lamp for my feet,
    a light on my path psalm 119:105 

 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26


Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Mark 1:35




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Season of Spring

  The mornings are so beautiful right now that I want to soak them in before the scorching heat is in its full glory. The sun comes up shortly after I do this time of year. My favorite thing to do is grab my bible, journal and a cup of coffee and sit out back with Annie while the sun rises. The birds are literally singing, the quail make more of a squawk like sound than a song but I love it.   Occasionally, I will hear an owl on a neighboring rooftop or the party of a pack of coyotes in the distance celebrating their recent conquest. I’m always surprised that these sounds don’t faze Annie one bit. Make no mistake, if the trash truck or other large vehicle drives past our dividing wall she goes absolutely K-9, as if she’s military, saving us from being attacked. Bless her heart.   Spring typically comes early in Phoenix and is somewhat short lived. I often think we go from Winter to Summer with seemingly little time to wear any of the light weight sweaters I have hangi...
2 comments
Read more

Woods and Deserts

  A dear friend of mine in Houston posted a photo of her daughter and friend walking either to or from school. At least that is what I assumed. It was a great picture of friendship shared between these two young teens. I recognized the path in the Woodlands. I’ve always loved the woods and that’s one of the many reasons why I loved living there. The massive trees, smell of bark, the rustling sound of fallen leaves and the warmth of the sun peeking through those shade covering trees. Nature is one of my favorite places to connect with God. I had many conversations with Him running on those paths.   I messaged my friend, “Ah. I miss those paths.” And she quickly replied with, “The paths miss you.” Haha. I think what she really meant was….. I am missed and it made my heart smile. I miss a lot about various places we have lived over the years. I am often asked, “Of all the places you have lived, where is your favorite?” My response is usually, “I have favorite things about eac...
2 comments
Read more

Minding My Own Tail

Have you ever heard of Happy Tail? Me either. At least not until our semi sweet chocolate lab came home from boarding with Happy Tail. They explained to me, it’s because Annie is so excited when anyone walks by her kennel; she wags her tail so fiercely that it beats up against the crate. This caused her to rub the fur off of a spot on the tip of her tail. Eventually, the skin broke open and it bled...... therefore she had been diagnosed with Happy Tail.  It cleared up until she had to spend a little more time in her kennel recently. At first I didn’t even notice. Only wondering where all the blood on my walls was coming from. Once I realized it was that Happy Tail again, I wrapped it with gauze and some first aid tape. That lasted only until the doorbell rang and a guest arrived. Several rapid wags and the wrap went flying like a severed finger and the bleeding was all over the walls along with our guest’s pants. So embarrassing! But also poor Annie. It had to hurt. I knew it ...
Post a Comment
Read more