Thanks so much for entering my fall giveaway and welcome to Faithfully Stepping! If you are new around here, you can find out more about me and why I started Faithfully Stepping HERE.
This is a place of encouragement for the person whose life doesn’t look anything like they thought it would. Life has fallen apart around them, and they have been left to pick up the pieces. My passion is to help that person. I send out a weekly email every Friday with encouragement to help you keep faithfully stepping into what God has for you.
Here are some of my most popular posts to get you started:
One of the reasons for my fall giveaway is that I am super passionate about developing a morning time routine. My mornings set the stage for my entire day. A good morning equals a good day. My morning time routine includes prayer, Bible reading, journaling, and morning tasks. Read Creating a Morning Time Routine You Love and My Best Tips for an Effective Morning Time to help you get started.
Resources in the Fall Giveaway
You can find all of the resources in the giveaway on Amazon or click the links below:
Matt and I spent some time talking with a friend this week. We listened while she talked. She shared some frustrations, then broke down into tears. She poured out her heart with all that was burdening her.
One of the things Matt said to her during our conversation was this. “What we’re going through right now is unprecedented. Give yourself some grace to get through this.” We said a few more things and then went our separate ways.
I thought about that conversation this week and about the dozens of other similar conversations we have had. One thing Matt and I keep coming back to as we talk to different people is that this is a difficult time. There is no getting around that.
The Changes
I think it’s easy to forget what a big deal this Covid business has been. Because we are back at work, back to doing life somewhat normally, we forget how much it’s really affecting us. That is, until something happens and it reminds us how different life is right now.
Consider this: the Olympics was canceled this year. The Olympics Games have only ever been canceled in history due to world war. The Olympics was canceled in 1916 for World War I and again in 1940 and 1944 for World War II. That’s a pretty big deal!
Covid has changed so much in our everyday lives. In all my years of attending church, we never canceled church except for an isolated snow storm here or there. Then churches close down for months at a time. Overnight, moms had to become home school teachers. Kids who have been schooled their entire lives are suddenly stuck at home, trying to navigate their schooling online. Jobs changed, incomes changed, grocery shopping changed.
So much has changed in the past few months. Yet we forget that and don’t give ourselves the grace we need to get through what we’re dealing with right now; then we’re shocked when everything falls apart around us.
Now is Not the Time
I’m sure you’ve seen as I have, people’s lives fall apart during these past six months. We’ve watched as public figures, good Christian leaders, have blown it big time. Some have decided to get a divorce from their spouse. Other leaders have said or done stupid things, and their ministries have fallen apart because of it.
We need to be reminded of this- now is not the time. Now is not the time to get divorced from your spouse. Now is not the time to make a major life change. Instead, it’s time to dig deep and find God’s strength and grace to be the stabilizing force in your family’s life and in others’ lives around you. How can we find the stability we need?
Six Ways to Find Stability
1. Spend time every morning finding grace and strength from God’s Word and through prayer.
I do this through my morning time routine of Bible reading, prayer, and journaling. I use my Faithfully Stepping Journal for this. We can only find the stability we need by staying close to God during this time. It’s when we get far away from Him that we can’t make sense of things around us. That’s when Satan can step in and convince us to do something we never thought we would.
Faithfully Stepping Journal
Matt and I just released He Still Calms Storms, a thirty-day devotional. If you’ve been struggling with what to read in your Bible each day, the answer may be this devotional. Each day includes a story to read to inspire you, Scriptures to study to guide you, and questions for self-reflection to help you.
New Release Devotional
2. Spend time reading good, uplifting books or listening to encouraging podcasts.
Check out my book and podcast suggestions here. Spending time being filled with thoughts about God and good will get our focus off our circumstances and keep us grounded.
3. When it gets too crazy, take a break.
Take a vacation day, go away for a few days by yourself or with your family. Do what you need to take the time off now before things escalate into something more serious. Even just a day or two away can bring clarity and perspective. It’s when we just keep plowing ahead that we can really get off and make some bad decisions.
4. Talk to somebody who’s further down the road than you.
Find someone that can speak wisdom into your life and tell you truthfully what you need to hear. Sometimes we need an honest, outside perspective to help us get back on track.
5. Use release writing to get what’s in your heart down on paper.
Release writing is the process of writing down everything that is in your heart concerning a particular situation. It can be an event, a hurt, whatever it is that has you unraveling at the moment. Write down everything that is in your heart- the confusion, the pain, the fear, the failure, the frustration, whatever it is. Get everything that is in your head down on paper. Only then can you begin to truly work through what it is you’re going through. Once you can see it all on paper, you can begin to pray about it specifically, find verses to help, and books to read. You can also then be able to talk to someone about what you’re going through and have a better grip on being able to explain it.
6. Seek out professional help or counseling.
If you are really struggling, one of the best things you can do is get help. Find a Christian counselor who can help you to understand what you’re going through and be able to walk that path with you. There are things in life that you may go through that you simply can’t get through by yourself. That’s what a counselor is for. They can give you the help you need to get back on track.
Now is not the time to make a life-changing decision. Right now is the time to focus on finding the stability and grounding we need to be able to stay faithful to God and our families and to be able to help bring stability to those around us.
This post contains affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
Sometimes we just need a new product to get us excited about something we already do every day. Today’s post is about breathing life back into your morning time. This list of ten products will help get you motivated and excited about morning time again.
1. He Still Calms Storms Devotional
Devotional for Morning Time
Matt and I just released the He Still Calms Storms Devotional. We combined the three devotional studies we released on Social Media this summer into a book. It’s a thirty-day devotional on finding calm in the middle of chaos. If you’re looking for something to encourage your heart, this devotional would be great. If you’ve been struggling with what to read in your Bible each day, the answer may be this devotional. Each day has a story to read, Bible verses to read, and questions for application.
2. A New Journal
Sometimes getting a new beautiful journal can help breathe life back into your morning time. If you want a journal that’s blank inside, try looking at Barnes and Noble or Hobby Lobby. Those are two great places to find beautiful journals.
If you’re looking for a journal that has a system inside, try my Faithfully Stepping Journals available on Amazon. With three beautiful covers to choose from, these six-month journals have three parts. The first section is for prayer and includes gratitude, confession, and requests for the day. The next section is for Bible reading. Here you record what you read for the day and journal about what impacted you. The last section is for writing down tasks or reminders for the day. Journaling daily will help to develop consistency in your prayer life and Bible reading that will propel your spiritual growth to new levels.
Faithfully Stepping Journal for Morning Time
3. A New Bible
If you feel like you need something fresh for your morning time, maybe it’s time to get a new Bible. I love getting a new Bible because it’s a blank canvas. I get a chance to go through and underline verses as I come to them, to mark it up with new notes and discoveries I make. If you want to really give yourself something to change things up, pick a new version. Matt gave me this beautiful copy of The Message Bible for Christmas. The Message is the work of Eugene Peterson, an amazing man of God who gave his life to preaching and writing this paraphrase of the Bible in everyday language. I have so enjoyed reading and underlining verses in my Bible that I’ve known my whole life but are now worded in a more modern way.
The Message
4. A New Book
Another great way to breathe life back into your morning time and find encouragement is to buy a new book for your morning time basket. A new book can encourage your heart and breathe life back into your soul. If you need some good book recommendations, check out my list of books I recommend. Here’s a few more I have read recently that have encouraged me: You Are the Girl for the Job by Jess Connolly, Love Lives Here by Maria Goff, and Momentum: The Simple Roadmap to Clarify Your Callingby Matt Manney.
Good book for morning time
5. A New Mug
It doesn’t have to be something big. Maybe it’s just something small you buy for yourself that brings a smile to your face each day. A few years ago, Matt bought me this thankful mug.
Mug from Hobby Lobby
It always makes me smile when I use it. I also like this blessed mug from Hobby Lobby that’s green on the inside.
6. New Pens
One of my favorite thing in the world is new pens. I especially love these Paper-Mate colored pens for my morning time.
7. A New Candle
A brand new candle is one of the best ways to add something fresh to your morning time. Fall is the absolute best time of year for great candles. My personal favorites are the three-wick candles from Bath and Body Works. Some of my favorites this season are honeycrisp apple, pumpkin snickerdoodle, vanilla pumpkin marshmallow, pumpkin vanilla cream, and salted butterscotch.
My friend Keya started Masterpiece Candles Co. I just ordered some of her fall line candles- apple donuts, cinnamon vanilla french toast, pumpkin pie, and butter maple pancakes. I just received them and can’t wait to light them and use them.
8. Coffee and Creamer
I can’t do my morning time routine without coffee in the morning. I love fall-inspired coffees and creamers. My sister bought me this Pumpkin Spice Decaf Coffee for my birthday, and I am loving it! I have to drink decaf because caffeine gives me migraines. It’s really hard to find good flavored decaf coffees, but this one is awesome. Matt is enjoying Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Coffee each morning.
We love Wawa’s French Vanilla creamer. It’s pretty much the best thing in the world. But this season, we are also enjoying Chobani’s Pumpkin Spice Creamer. My sister-in-law bought this for us, and it’s pretty good.
9. Some New Songs to Listen To
Okay, so these are not a product, but I wanted to add songs to this list. Sometimes, I need some new songs to listen to that encourage my heart. A few songs that are either new or just new to me that I am enjoying are the following:
Don’t Sweat It– Sidewalk Prophets (This is a fun one I have been running to)
10. Gratitude Journal
When I feel myself really struggling with being discouraged, a great remedy is to spend some time writing down all the ways God has blessed me. I do this every morning in my Faithfully Stepping Journal, but sometimes I just need extra time. I created this free printable you can print off to use at home. Sometimes we just need to be reminded of God’s incredible goodness to us and it’s easier to do that when we see all the ways written down in front of us.
Free Printable
Sometimes it’s the little things in life that keep us motivated and staying on track. Picking just one thing from this list may be just the thing you need to breathe some life back into your morning time.
“Mom, catch me. I’m slipping!” Have you heard those words before? One of my kids’ favorite things to do at the park is the monkey bars. The irony is that it’s their favorite thing, but they are also terrified of it. Over the years, I have spent so much of my time at parks standing beneath my children as they learn to do the monkey bars.
You know the drill. They start. They get two or three in before their grip starts slipping and down they fall. My job is to simply wrap my arms around their legs the moment their grip slips and catch them before they can fall. I put them on the ground. Then they smile hugely and run over to the stairs so they can climb back up and begin the entire process again.
My kiddos at the park
God Keeps Us From Slipping
God works this same way in our lives. The moment we feel like we are slipping and can’t maintain our grip anymore, God moves in and catches us.
If God hadn’t been there for me, I never would have made it. The minute I said, “I’m slipping, I’m falling,” your love, God, took hold and held me fast. Psalm 94:17,18 MSG
A song that we love to sing at our church is He Will Hold Me Fast by Keith and Kristyn Getty. I love the words of the last verse and chorus.
For my life He bled and died, Christ will hold me fast; Justice has been satisfied; He will hold me fast. Raised with Him to endless life, He will hold me fast ‘Till our faith is turned to sight, When He comes at last!
He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast; For my Saviour loves me so, He will hold me fast.
He Will Hold Me Fast by Keith and Kristyn Getty
He is Watching and Waiting, Ready to Catch Us
The thing about slipping is that you have to be close to falling. When my kids are on the monkey bars, I could just make things easy for them and carry them across. When they are little, I do just that. I hold them up while they grasp the bars. I bear all their weight, so they’re not really doing it. They just think they are.
As they get older, though, I let them do it on their own. I’m just there to catch them if they fall. I think God works the same way in our lives. He doesn’t just do life for us. Rather, He watches and waits, ready to catch us when we slip and keep us from falling. The Psalmist reminds us of this truth in Psalm 116.
For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. Psalm 116:8 KJV
When Life Falls Apart
When we feel like we are at the end of ourselves, it’s God that rescues us every time. You may feel like you’re slipping today. Maybe you feel like you’ve lost your grip on everything around you. Life doesn’t make sense. Things are not working out. You’ve worked so hard, yet it feels like it’s all ready to fall to pieces around you.
When we feel this way, there is only one answer. We have to look up. Call out to the only One who can keep you from falling. Know that when you do call out to God, He will hear you and will be there to catch you before you fall.
Verses to Remind Us that God Hears Us
Here are a few verses to remind ourselves that God hears us when we pray to Him, when we feel like we’re slipping.
For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers… I Peter 3:12 KJV
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13 KJV
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: I John 5:14 KJV
Encouragement for Today
Whatever it is that you are facing today, God is more than aware of it. If you feel like everything is falling apart around you and you’re loosing your grip, maybe it’s time to call out to God. Then step back and watch what happens when He steps in.
So I wrote Pursuing Your Dream, Part 1 all the way back in March. My plan was to get this post out next. The next week, COVID happened and we went into quarantine. In the middle of a crisis, I didn’t feel like this post was appropriate. I put it on the back burner. So give that post a quick read if you want.
The first post was about finding your dream and choosing to pursue it. This second post is about continuing with your dream.
Continuing with Your Dream
Do you know what comes after starting your dream? Continuing with your dream. It’s awesome to establish your business, create your first product, and make your first sale. But then reality sets in. You have to keep creating. Then you have to figure out sales tax and income tax. After that, you have to put money back into your product or business. Then there’s dealing with people who don’t care for your product. It’s during this time that we are tempted to give up on our dreams. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it’s worth it.
When the output is more than the income, when you don’t sell enough product to make a profit, when somebody complains or criticizes what you are creating, when you feel like this business will never get off the ground… that’s when we are tempted to give up on our dream.
Why Continue?
Matt and I are pursuing our dream of writing and creating products. I blog here at Faithfully Stepping and write non-fiction books as well as fantasy books, and I’m loving it! I am so fulfilled by writing.
With that said, though, Matt and I are not getting rich on the books we’ve written. We pay more for editing than we make in sales. So why do we do it? Because it’s how God has gifted us, and we love writing! Writing gets us up early, keeps us up late, and leaves us bleary-eyed and tired. Yet, we’re doing what we love, and we have goals in mind that we are striving for. That’s how a dream is. On good days, it will motivate you, so you don’t have to motivate yourself.
Encouragement to Not Give Up
One of the verses that has become a huge encouragement to me is Micah 7:7.
But me, I’m not giving up. I’m sticking around to see what God will do. I’m waiting for God to make things right. I’m counting on God to listen to me. Micah 7:7 MSG
Too many times we give up on our dreams, give up on seeing God do something amazing with our lives for one simple reason. We don’t stick with it long enough to see the dream come to fruition. It’s not enough to start something, we have to stick with it.
Keep Pursuing Your Dream
Let me take it a step further. Have you tried your hand at a dream and it failed? Have you seen your dreams crash and burn and then given up on them? It’s really easy to look around and see everybody that’s doing a better job than you. I get it. Believe me!
There are very few people who have actually become a success overnight. It takes hard work and discipline and sticking with it to become successful.
Jim Rohn says,
“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”
Jim Rohn
If we want to keep our dream alive, we need to put some habits into practice and stick with them. It’s not enough just to pursue our dream, we need to develop the habits and practices to keep that dream alive.
Five Tips to Help You Not Give Up on Your Dream
Get up early. Entrepreneurs know that successful people get up early. The best book recommendation for this is The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod.
Learn to find extra pockets of time throughout your day. If you are just starting to pursue your dream, chances are you are still busy full-time with other work. Maybe it’s a full-time job, parenting, homeschooling, or something else. Most of us don’t have time to focus one hundred percent of our time on our dream. Because of that, we have to learn to get creative and find pockets of time throughout our day. Jessica Turner calls these the fringe hours. Her book The Fringe Hours is a must-read.
Refuse to listen to negativity. There will always be people who don’t like your particular business or product. We have to choose not to listen to that negativity and let it discourage us. We need to choose to ignore criticism or it will cripple us from moving forward. If there is something we can learn and change from the criticism, then do so. Otherwise, ignore it and move forward.
Remember why it is you started. Whether you started because you need extra income, you want to help people, or because you just love your product and want to share it with the world, don’t forget why it is you started.
Picture your success. Form in your mind’s eye what success looks like to you. Then keep that image before you, especially on the days you want to give up. We have to have something that motivates us to keep going.
Other Resources
If this post got you thinking about wanting to start something of your own, but you’re not sure what, Money-Making Mom and Fringe Hours are both great books to get you started. They are both loaded with ideas.
Do you need momentum right now to get back up on your feet and keep going? Have you wanted to walk away from what it is you’re supposed to do?
So many of us get excited about what God wants us to do with our lives- our calling. We jump on board, throw ourselves in with everything we have, and get to work. Then reality hits.
We realize we don’t make enough money to cover the bills, we get sick, the people we are supposed to be helping turn their back on us, and people don’t approve of what we’re doing. We get discouraged, defeated, and want to give up.
Circumstances Don’t Dictate Your Calling
That was where Matt and I found ourselves seven years into our ministry. Nothing was working out like it was supposed to. The bottom dropped out financially, we didn’t see the results we were looking for, and it seemed like the best thing to do would be to throw in the towel and walk away. We found ourselves in a really horrible place. Did we walk away and shut the doors on our church because it wasn’t working out? We could have. No one would have faulted us. God taught us a really important lesson during that time.
“Circumstances do not dictate the direction of our life. Calling is the constant to pull us through the chaos.”
Momentum
God taught us that just because our circumstances weren’t good didn’t mean we were done with the work He wanted us to do. God used that time to drive us to our knees. I’m not going to lie, it was a very difficult time. We spent about two years struggling with whether to stay or leave. God used that difficult time to strengthen our calling. When most people thought we should leave, God showed us that we were in the right place. God also used this time to push us towards the other part of what He had for us- writing.
Gaining Momentum by Clarifying Your Calling
We are much stronger in our calling today. We know we are where we are supposed to be, doing what God called us to do. First, we are to minister to people outside of Philadelphia through our church, to remind them that there is a God who loves them and is for them. Second, we are to write to encourage people to create a life they love. Find what God has for them and go after it with all their heart, and we will be there to encourage and help them from the sidelines with our books, journals, and devotionals. God has given us such clarity and peace for our calling. He used adversity to clarify our calling.
The clarity you need for your calling comes when you’ve been forged in the fire of adversity.
Momentum
You Are Exactly Where You Need to Be
Maybe you are at a similar place in your life. You know what it is God wants you to do, but things are just not working out. Maybe you need to be encouraged with these words today.
You are exactly where you need to be right now, whether it feels good, makes sense, or causes despair. God is working your calling within you. He is molding and shaping you as a potter molds and shapes the clay on a potter’s wheel. (Jeremiah 18:4)
Momentum
I would have given anything to hear those words when Matt and I were struggling. Now, we want to speak words of encouragement and life into others who are in the midst of their own struggle right now.
Momentum: The Simple Roadmap to Clarify Your Calling
That’s why Matt wrote Momentum: The Simple Roadmap to Clarify Your Calling. He writes about the four obstacles that keep us from pursuing and thriving in our calling. Matt and I are at complete peace now and love what we are doing. We would have missed out on the greatest joys we are experiencing now had we stepped away from what God wanted us to do.
You can chose the adventure you want to live- an adventure of stepping into your calling.
Momentum
Momentum is close to both of our hearts. We want others to be able to find momentum in their lives as we have in ours. You can get a copy on Amazon today. It’s available in paperback and ebook.
From Matt: If you’re tired of struggling with the obstacles that stand in your way, you don’t have to wrestle anymore. After years of frustration, bad advice, and trying to find my fit, I discovered the four obstacles that stood in my way to clarify my calling. Don’t struggle like I did. Let this book be your guide to overcome the obstacles that keep you from stepping into your calling.
If you want to give it a try first, you can download the first chapter for free. Just click below.
Have you ever been in a place where you felt so broken-hearted you couldn’t function? You feel so burned-out and discouraged that it doesn’t feel like you will ever be happy again? Do you need fresh hope to be able to move forward again?
Over the last few months, several ladies have told me that they feel this way. I get it. I’ve been there. When we went through our tough season about two years ago, I had days where I just didn’t feel like I could go on. You can read about our story HERE. The great news is that we’re not alone. We find Hannah from I Samuel in this exact situation.
Hannah’s Heartbreak
Hannah so desperately wanted a baby, but she was infertile. The Bible says she was “crushed in soul” in one Bible version and “in bitterness of soul” in another version. Both of those descriptions give us an idea of how she was handling this hardship.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, her husband’s second wife is extremely fertile and relentlessly taunts her. Can you imagine? It’s one thing to be in pain, but to have someone else mock you while you’re in pain? That’s terrible! Hannah uses these words to describe herself- desperately unhappy and in such pain.
Hannah and her husband and his other wife head to Shiloh to worship God. While there, Hannah is so broken-hearted that she can’t eat. She decides to go into the temple and spend some time alone, praying.
The priest sees her and talks to her. She tells him about her pain. He tells her that God hears her prayer, and may God grant her her request.
Hannah’s Change of Heart
Don’t miss this next part. Hannah heads back to where everyone is eating dinner and eats heartily. The Bible says her countenance changed; she was no longer sad. Why? Why did her countenance change? Because she left her burden with God. She trusted Him to provide for her and to give her her heart’s desire. What incredible faith!
Before the end of the year, Hannah gave birth to a son. She called him Samuel. After Samuel grew old enough to take care of himself, she took her son back to the temple to serve God as she had promised God she would do. Samuel went on to be an incredible prophet for the people of God.
Fresh Hope
After Hannah gives birth to a baby boy, she says these words: “God rekindles burned-out lives with fresh hope.” (I Samuel 2:6 MSG) I love this verse. Only God can take a burned-out life and fill it with fresh hope.
What can we learn from Hannah’s example? How did Hannah go from “bitterness of soul” to being filled with peace and no longer being sad? How do you go from feeling burned-out to being filled with fresh hope?
I believe there are five things Hannah did that we can also do to find fresh hope.
1. Find a place where you can be alone.
When the pain is too intense, sometimes the best thing we can do is find a time to be alone. Hannah got up from the dinner and went into the temple, alone to pray. Where can you find a place to be alone?
Get up early, before anybody else gets out of bed.
Go to a coffee shop.
Take a drive by yourself.
Go to the park.
2. Find a place away from your normal place.
Sometimes we need to find a place that gets us away from the distractions all around us. Hannah didn’t find hope in her home; she found it when she went into the temple.
Get out of town; go somewhere to get away from the distractions at home.
Find a quiet place to sit at the beach or by water to be able to sit and reflect.
Find a place that brings you peace.
3. Pour out your heart to God.
Hannah wept before God and poured out her heart to Him.
Once you’re alone and away from where you normally spend time, talk to God about what you’re going through.
Write out your feelings, fears, and hurts to God in a journal.
4. Leave Your Burdens with God.
Hannah wept and prayed. Then she dried her tears and prepared to go back to dinner. She no longer carried her heavy burden.
I Peter 5:7 says, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (KJV) God wants us to give our burden to Him and leave it with Him.
We weren’t made to carry our own burdens. Give it over to God and let Him worry about it for you.
Trust that He is going to come through for you.
5. Praise Him.
The entire second chapter of I Samuel is Hannah’s praise to God. She can’t get over how God answered her prayer and came through on her behalf.
When God comes through, praise Him.
Tell others about what God has done for you.
Write it down in a journal, so you don’t forget God’s goodness to you.
If we follow Hannah’s example through these five steps, we can find fresh hope for our burned-out life. We can leave our burden with God and fully trust that He will come through on our behalf.
How you spend your morning can often tell you what kind of day you are going to have.
Lemony Snicket
Mornings, I believe, are the most important part of our day. We can learn to leverage our mornings to give us the best start to our day possible. I believe the answer to a great morning is to develop a morning time routine you love.
Creating a Morning Time Routine
1. Get Up Early
This is by far the most important step. Getting up early is different for everybody, and it looks different in different stages of life. For now, let’s say getting up early is getting up at least thirty minutes before your kids get out of bed or thirty minutes before you start your regular day.
There is something special about getting up early. I have never regretted the mornings I get up early. The quiet hours in the morning before everyone else wakes up are what I call the magic hours. I love the peace and quiet with quiet music playing and my candle burning. I love seeing the sun come up. Where I live in the city, I can’t see the sunrise each morning, but I can watch as light begins to appear.
“The time just before dawn contains the most energy of all hours of the day. This has helped me become an early riser and an early doer…. When I wake to see that it’s light out already, I feel the world has started without me.”
Terri Guillemets
“The difference between rising at five and seven o’clock in the morning for 40 years, supposed a man to go to bed at the same hour at night is nearly equivalent to the addition of ten years to a man’s life.”
Philip Doddridge
During the school year, I get up really early because once my kids get up, we start school and I am busy the rest of the day. The hours I spend in the morning before my kids get up are the most productive hours of my day.
No one but you can decide what time you should get up in the morning. If this is something you struggle with, start small. Start with getting up just thirty minutes before your kids get up or before you get ready for work. Once that becomes easy, try adding another fifteen minutes. Keep adding fifteen minute segments until you reach your goal time.
The first thing I do when I come downstairs in the morning is to light a candle. My favorite candles for years have always been Bath and Body Candles. I wait until they are on sale, then pair them with a twenty percent off coupon. The best sale of the year is Candle Day in December. It’s estimated to be December 5th this year. Candles are at their lowest price on this day. You can buy up to 15 candles.
My friend, Keya, started Masterpiece Candles Co this year. So I’ve been using her candles as well. She just came out with her fall line of candles. I can’t wait to order some!
Masterpiece Candles
Lighting a candle with a scent you love creates the perfect background for a good morning time.
3. Make a Cup of Coffee
I love a little bit of coffee with my french vanilla creamer in the morning! Being a creature of habit, I pretty much make the same kind of coffee every morning. I usually make a cup of Wawa decaf coffee and put in French Vanilla creamer. My favorite creamer is Wawa’s French Vanilla creamer. My second favorite is Coffee Mate French Vanilla creamer. In the fall, I switch to decaf pumpkin coffee if we can find it. (I get headaches from caffeine, hence the decaf.)
4. Turn on Music
Matt likes to turn on worship music first thing in the morning. So usually, that’s what we listen to. If it’s just me in the morning, I usually listen to quiet piano music.
My Morning Basket
My Morning Time Basket
1. My Bible
This is pretty easy. You need a Bible that you love. Pick whatever version you are most comfortable with. Pick one that’s pretty. There are so many beautiful and fun Bibles to choose from nowadays that don’t cost a lot.
2. My Journal
My Faithfully Stepping Journals
Any journal will do. I used to use journals from the dollar store or Hobby Lobby. You can easily do that. Or you can order one of my Faithfully Stepping Journals, available on Amazon. The process is the same, whether you use one of my journals or your own.
Prayer Time
Gratitude
Confession
Requests
Bible Reading
Write down what you read for the day
Write down any verse or thoughts that stand out to you or encourage you
I’ve included a picture for reference. If you use a regular journal, just follow these same steps.
Inside the Faithfully Stepping Journal
3. A Book
I always read at least a few pages in whatever book I am currently reading after I finish my Bible reading, journaling, and prayer time. Currently, I am reading three books. I just about finished reading You Are the Girl for the Jobby Jess Connolly. I’m loving it. I am also reading Boss Up by Lindsay Teague Moreno and Love Lives Here by Maria Goff. (I left that book up on my nightstand so it missed the picture.)
4. My Planner
After I finish reading a few pages of my book, I write down what I need to accomplish for the day. The days I write down my goals for the day are so much more productive than the days I don’t. I love being able to cross things I accomplish off my list!
I use different planners every year. The one I am currently using is from Walmart. If you want to spend a little more, Erin Condren’s planners are great. You can customize them and get them personalized. I got Matt one with his name on it last year for Christmas. He’s already asked for one for this Christmas. He tells me all the time that it’s his favorite.
5. My Dream Journal
I always have a journal that I keep in my basket to write down goals, dreams, ideas, and more. You never know when an idea is going to hit you, so I keep it in my basket. I use it at the beginning of the year to write my goals for the year. Then I check it periodically throughout the year to see how I’m doing.
6. Pens
It sounds obvious, but having pens is important. There is nothing worse than sitting down and not having a pen to write with. My favorite pens for journaling are papermate colored-ink pens.
7. A Basket
Last but not least, I have found the easiest way to keep track of all my supplies for my morning time routine is to keep them in a basket. I keep buying the same pink and white chevron basket from Hobby Lobby because I love it.
Here’s all my materials spread out
Creating a morning time basket is fun. I love getting new books and supplies for mine. It’s also a really easy way to start developing a morning time routine. It makes the time more enjoyable and something to look forward to. This is the best time to develop a morning time routine because Fall Mornings Make the Best Mornings.
Creating and Implementing a morning time routine you love will be the best thing you’ve ever done. Give it a try and see if it doesn’t turn around your entire day!
With all that’s going on around us, I think it’s pretty safe to say that everybody is dealing with something right now. Pretty much all of us need help with getting through what we’re going through. Where do we find the help we need? How do we find the strength to get through?
What is it that gets us through difficult times? It’s our faith.
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. I John 5:4 KJV
Faith is the Answer
Our faith is what gets us through difficult times. The writer of Hebrews tells us that our faith (our trust in God) is the very foundation for what makes our lives worth living. Without faith, there is no hope in this life.
The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. Hebrews 11:1 MSG
How Do We Grow Our Faith?
Faith is simply our trust in God and how we handle what we can’t see. Our faith is what gets us through; but if our faith is weak, we are weak. So how do we strengthen our faith?
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17 KJV
If we want to increase our faith, we have to get more of God’s Word into our lives. We can do that in three simple ways.
1. Develop a Consistent Morning Time Routine.
Spend time with God each and every morning in prayer, Bible reading, and journaling. I do this each morning as a part of my morning time routine. Our morning sets the tone for our entire day.
2. Fill Your Mind With Good and God.
One of the best ways to develop our faith is by reading good books and listening to podcasts. You can find a list of books I recommend and podcasts that I listen to by clicking here.
3. Study Scripture.
A great way to get our focus off of the problems around us is to focus on God’s Word. The resource below is a great place to start. There are 60 verses for 13 topics such as forgiveness, worry, anger, waiting, and more. You can download a free copy by simply clicking the link below.
These steps may be simple, but we can spend a lifetime doing them. When we develop a daily morning time with God, fill our minds with good books and podcasts, and focus on thinking more on God’s Word, we will begin to grow our faith. That’s how we will be able to get through what we are going through.
Sometimes as Christians, we fall into the trap of thinking that nothing bad will happen to us. We are content to live our lives and serve God as long as He keeps His end of the deal. As long as He provides for us, keeps us comfortable, and doesn’t ask too much of us, we are happy to live our lives serving Him.
But then, like a cannonball, a problem or difficult situation slams into our lives, causing huge waves and ripple effects. We look around in surprise. How could God allow this to happen? Doesn’t He love me? Where is God?
We begin to doubt God’s goodness and question His ways. Fear takes hold of us. We wonder- if God allowed this to happen, what else might he allow to happen? If we’re not careful, we let that fear control our lives.
Everyone Has Problems
We all have problems come into our lives. No one is immune. I think Henry Wadsworth Longfellow got it right when he said, “Thy fate is the common fate of all; into each life some rain must fall.”
It comes down to this- how are we going to handle these problems? God never promised us pain-free lives; He promised that He would give us grace to get through our problems.
Excerpt from The Hidden Pain
God has taken my family and I through some problems over the last several years. Some of them were minor and slightly uncomfortable. Others were so huge, I didn’t think my faith would make it through intact.
I look back on some of the really dark moments of these past several years and feel like I’ve come out on the other side. I felt as if I’d lost my faith, but I discovered that it’s been there all along. It’s a small whisper of a beat, a thread. It’s almost inaudible, almost severed, but it’s still there. It still exists because God still exists, and He never left me. He’s been there all along. Yes, He allowed me to go through a difficult season to figure out if I really trust Him and see if my faith is really strong enough. I had to be brought to the end of myself to find what’s been there all along – God and the people around me.
When our plans fall apart, our dreams die, and life hits us out of nowhere and knocks our feet out from under us, the first thing we do is call out to God to take it away. It’s just too much. We can’t handle the pressure, the heartbreak, the feelings of betrayal, the hurt, the stress, and on and on it goes. I’ve gone through this, and I have seen countless numbers of people go through this. We just want God to take it away. But more often than not, God doesn’t. He doesn’t remove the pain or the problem. Instead, He offers his grace to get through it.
The apostle Paul had a problem – a “thorn in the flesh” as he called it. He asked God to take it away several times, but God didn’t. God’s response to Paul is in II Corinthians 12:9, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
God doesn’t promise to take our problems away. He says that His grace will be enough and His strength will be made perfect through our weakness. Somehow that’s enough. It doesn’t feel like it’s enough when we are in the moment, but if we can stay faithful and trust God, He will get us through. Someday – maybe not today, maybe not a month from now or even a year from now, but someday, you will look back and see that God knew what He was doing all along. He was forming a new you, a better you.
From The Hidden Pain
If you are interested inThe Hidden Pain, you can try a sample. Just click below to get the first chapter for free.
God’s Grace to Get Through
When you feel so alone and feel like no one understands, remember to look up. One of the songs Matt and I have been listening to lately that has been an encouragement is No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus by Steffany Gretzinger. I think you will find it an encouragement to your heart.
Sometimes we need to be reminded that yes, problems will come into our lives. But God loves you more than you can possibly know. He will help you get through this. You will come out on the other side. Your faith will grow strong again. God is creating a new you, a stronger you.
