Overcoming the Struggles of Sacred Mornings: How to Prioritize Your Time With Jesus

Transform your days with sacred mornings. Discover tips to prioritize quiet time with Jesus and deepen your relationship with Him.

Mornings have been a nemesis of mine for many years. Once my babies started sleeping through the night and later in the mornings, so did I. But I learned that waiting to get up when my kids got up was a challenge of its own. Once the kids were up, I had to hit the ground running. There was no taking my sweet time to drink my coffee and allow myself to wake up first.

That’s when I realized I wasn’t getting quiet time with the Lord each day, and I’d become desperately hungry for it. So, I decided I would start waking up early so I could spent quiet time with Jesus each morning.

Little did I know how hard it would be to build that habit. But I was so adamant about doing it, I never gave up trying, no matter how many years it took. My only regret was waiting so long to get my act together.

When I finally woke up early to spend my mornings with Jesus while it was still quiet, my days were transformed! My spiritual tank was filled, my attitude was better, my energy levels soared. When Jesus invites us to come to Him, He’s not kidding. When He tells us He will fill us with living water, carry our burdens, and give us rest, He’s good on those promises. The only caveat is that we need to show up. We have a role in building a relationship with God, too.

So how can you prioritize your time with Jesus?

Choose the best time of morning for YOU

Early mornings may not be your best time of day in the season of life you’re in. That’s ok! What about morning nap time or quiet time? The time of morning isn’t as important as the time spent with Him. But I encourage you to find some time when you can be alone and it can be quiet. Jesus often withdrew from the crowds and the disciples to spend uninterrupted time with the Father alone.

For me, 5am is the best time. My kids are older now and one is waking up for work while another wakes up for school (my only public-schooled kid). So I need to adjust accordingly.

Have a plan

Going into your sacred time with Jesus without knowing what you’re doing will often lead to doing nothing. When you don’t have something to aim for, you’ll get bored, distracted, or believe it’s a waster of time. Decide ahead of time what you’re going to do. Being prepared won’t hinder the Spirit, it will invite Him. Will you read a specific book of the bible? Do a bible study? Read a high quality devotional? Journal? Pray? Have quiet worship music on? Know what you’re going to do before you do it.

I journal a morning prayer to God about me. I lay down my worries and burdens, I delcare truth about who God is and who He says I am. I have an entire acronym of things I journal so I am not simply complaining or lamenting. Click here to download your MORNING Pages Prayer guide.

I also have a bible reading plan, and a prayer plan for each of my kids. I pray specifically for one kid each day.

Be prepared to cut something out

Sometimes, we need to let go of distractions in order to make time and space for Jesus. It may require you to sacrifice something else—but believe me, it’s worth it! It could mean not sleeping in or putting your phone down. Perhaps you need to turn off Netflix for an hour or set that novel down. While time with Jesus is overwhelmingly rewarding, it may not be quite as instant as some of our other habits.

I am currently still working to break the habit of checking my phone in the morning before my sacred time with Jesus. It disrupts everything and robs me of some of my time set aside for just Him.

Hold onto the discipline of sacred mornings with Jesus

Once you get into a good groove of spending time with the Lord and feeling refreshed, it can be easy to justfity skipping a day, which can lead to skipping another day, and then a week. Trust me when I say it is so easy to fall out of it. While the discipline side matters, don’t make the mistake of only meeting with Jesus out of habit while your heart is distracted somewhere else. Meet with Him because you want to. That’s His desire and you can make it yours, too.

I have actually had a bad habit of doing this. I tell myself I’ve been doing so well and that one day one hurt anything. But it does. It always does. It’s one thing if you’re sick or there are circumstances you can’t control — but in the normal everyday, don’t miss a day if you can help it. It’s not about being legalistic for me, it’s just about wanting to be consistent and not miss a morning with Jesus if I don’t have to.

Sacred mornings with Jesus are an invitation and a gift. God never forces us. He desires that we come to Him because we want to; not out of some form of duty or obligation.

The fast-paced, overwhelming amount of things-to-do culture that we live in requires that we are intentional about setting aside time to be with the Lord. And in fact, this can truly reveal in our heart where our priorities lie. Some truths are hard to hear, but they are no less true.

We are living in times when we can’t afford NOT to meet with the Lord consistently. Create space for sacred mornings with Jesus. You will never regret it. It’s not about checking a box, it’s about deepening your relationship with Him.

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Live Devoted,

Christin Slade
christinslade.com