I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. —Romans 12:1–2
We live in a toxic world. Physically, spiritually and emotionally. When we look around we know, instinctively, that this is not the way it is supposed to be—which is an encouraging thought. Because that thought implies that there is something better out there—and our hearts long for it.
For that reason, I believe fresh starts are so important. It’s a new year and it’s time for a fresh start.
I love a fresh start. So does God. Think of all that He has given us because of Jesus:
A new life.
A new start.
A new beginning.
A new hope.
A new relationship with Him.
A new home.
A new future.
A new perspective.
A new family.
A new mind.
A new reality.
A new identity.
A new name.
A new outlook on life.
…and one day we will have a new body. That is what the resurrection is all about.
But here is why I love the New Year: it is a reminder of all that God has done for us. And—can I make this personal? More than just an annual fresh start, we actually have a new start every morning! Every day the sun rises to begin that new day.
So how does your day start? The way you start your morning will often determine the way your day goes—which often determines the way your weeks and months go. These are the building blocks of your life.
The way you start your morning will often determine the way your day goes.
So, the way you start your day is important. Change your morning, change your life.
What is your morning routine? Paul the apostle encourages us to present our bodies as living sacrifices to God. But that’s hard to do if we are sleep-deprived, in bad health, or when our mornings are rushed and anxiety clouds our perspective.
So, what does your morning routine look like?
I truly believe that those early hours of the day is the key to a fresh start—everyday.
Can I share my morning routine with you? While everyone’s morning looks a little different (mine is what works for me), the key is understanding what you want to accomplish. Is your physical health important? Is your mental and emotional health important? Is your spiritual health important?
Morning is a productive time for me. So, I want to get up early enough to get everything done that is important. And again—what I do isn’t a one-size-fits-all schedule—it is what I do to accomplish what I value.
By the way, I don’t consider myself a morning person. As a musician, mornings didn’t suit me in the beginning. Honestly, it took a little work but I’ve experienced how fruitful mornings can be.
First, I get up at 6AM. This means that I can’t get to bed at 11PM, or later—not if I want to sustain good health. While I may periodically stay up for some reason, plenty of sleep is critical for good health.
So, at 6AM I splash some water to the face, clean the sleep from my eyes, then down stairs to get the morning started.
For health reasons, I have a morning drink that I take 7 days a week (see recipe below). This drink is water, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar mixed (one for Erin and one myself). I drink this down straight away, because I want to have about an hour between drinking that and my morning coffee.
Then, I work on our breakfast smoothie, which is a combo of a few different berries, etc. I also do a pre-breakfast tonic of honey, lemon juice, cayenne and EVOO. Then I put this unblended smoothie and tonic to the side for later.
Next, I prep Erin’s lunch to help her get out the door to work each day.
Then I prep our coffee with collagen and oat milk (I like the chocolate flavored collagen peptides at Costco). I prep the coffee to brew just before bed, with the auto-brew set for 6AM.
We only get one body. I want to take good care of it so I can go the distance!
Tomorrow, in Pt.2, we’ll look at spiritual health.
What does you morning routine look like?
My recipe for daily morning hydration:
24 oz. Filtered water
2 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp. raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar (with the mother)
Bill Herried is a pastor in Tacoma, Washington and is married to the most extraordinary woman on the planet. Together they have 3 adult children and 4 grandchildren. He has been the lead pastor at CenterPoint Christian Fellowship in Tacoma since 2006. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Washington in Seattle, and Master of Divinity from Corban University in Salem, Oregon—and he loves a good biryani.
Image by RÜŞTÜ BOZKUŞ from Pixabay
Your Daily Encouragement 