Look and listen to God first

CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON

“In the pure, strong hours of the morning, when the soul of the day

is at its best, lean upon the window sill of God and look into His

face, and get the orders for the day. Then go out into the day with

the sense of a hand upon your shoulder and not a chip.”

-- E. STANLEY JONES

Are you a morning person, who wakes up eager to meet the new day

and is excited about what God has planned for you, or are you more of

a night owl and find that the alarm clock rings long before you’re

ready to rise?

Perhaps you are looking forward to the day, but it just takes some

time and coffee to get going. I’m typically a morning person, and

some mornings I wake up thinking about what God’s plans for me are,

while other mornings I charge right into what I think is most

important.

We’ve experienced amazing mornings over the past few weeks,

ranging from warm, beautiful sunrises to cold, pelting rain. No

matter what the weather may be, wherever we are, each morning brings

the start of a new day. After reading the quote at the top of this

column and talking with some friends, I am going to try to look at

each day in a new way.

Several friends have told me they start their mornings by asking

God for his marching orders for the day.

“After all, God gave me the gift of a new day, so I want him to

tell me what he wants me to do with it,” one of them said.

I agreed, and I want to try that. It’s very easy for me to march

along full speed ahead, only to realize later that I was marching on

my own and in the wrong direction. It’s like I’m going around in

circles until I ask God to straighten me out.

My husband Jon and I woke up to a cold, dark morning on the day I

began this column. After breakfast, Jon left for work, and I headed

outside for a walk. I thought about what I needed to do that day and

started feeling unsettled. I marched back home.

“Oops, God, I’m sorry,” I said out loud. “What are your orders for

me for today?”

I sat quietly for a while and then had a thought. I glanced over

my “to-do” list for the day and wrote “to be with God.” It was as if

God said, “Cindy, Cindy, Cindy, calm down. Look to me and listen to

me first.”

The anxiousness I felt when I first looked at my list was replaced

by peace, and I minimized the items to the essentials. I stared out

the window at the sky, which was ablaze with changing colors. My mood

became more colorful too.

“Thank you God,” I said.

I wasn’t a parent telling a child to march back inside to wash his

hands; I was a child asking my Heavenly Father to wash my heart and

soul. I went for a shorter walk later, but more importantly, I felt

like God’s hand was in my plans.

And you can quote me on that.

* CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON is a Newport Beach resident who speaks

frequently to parenting groups. She may be reached via e-mail at

cindy@onthegrow.com or through the mail at 537 Newport Center Drive,

Box 505, Newport Beach, CA 92660.