Exhale, ye merry Rockstars, by the time you read these words of mine the lovely chaos of Christmas will have come and gone. None of us can know what the next day will bring, but if the established order of Christmases past prevails, I can project a few things with a degree of certainty. There’s a solid good chance my man will be on a deer stand and I’ll be attempting to recover some semblance of order here in the old homestead after the departure of our grown kids and their precious wee ones. Those six grands of ours know how to rock around a Christmas tree!

I also feel confident projecting a couple of other things that will be happening. One, I’ll have my face on because Mama trained me to put it on first thing every morning. If you weren’t raised by a Southern Mama you might be confused by that phrasing, but southern women will know that I’m talking about having my makeup on, even if it’s just light mascara and lipstick. I don’t like to start the day without it. I can also tell you that, if at all possible, I’ll be looking for a quiet block of time each morning to train my eyes on God. Having my face on before I start the day is big to this southern belle, but the Spirit of God has taught me that seeking Him first thing every morning is an exceedingly more precious, more valuable habit, and it’s of far greater consequence for me and for those around me.

If you don’t have this practice, my friend, 2021 looms as an empty slate offering fresh opportunities to embark upon a life-saving life-transforming relationship with God through the sweet gift of His son Jesus, Immanuel, God with us. Should you want to join me, I’d love to offer you a few humble thoughts about this spiritual practice.

1)     Offer your heart to Jesus every day without trying to clean it up, first. That’s His specialty! Trust Him to forgive and heal, counsel, correct, and direct. He is faithful.

2)     Resist the pressure to read a certain amount of Scripture or to pray for a certain length of time.  Simply ask the Lord to meet you and teach you His ways and listen.

3)     Don’t be discouraged if your mind wanders while you’re reading God’s Word or praying. Just bring it back.

Repeat steps 1 through 3. Let’s be ill content to start a day without having our face turned towards Him. Happy New Year!