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Start Your Day In God's Word When Anna died, I began a routine that would help me cope with the daily heartache. First on my agenda for the day was the get the proper perspective. On days that I didn't take the time to follow these steps, I suffered more. Often, the mornings were my most difficult times, especially the first few weeks after Anna died. I began by getting myself a cup of coffee (which brings me some comfort all by itself-if you're not a coffee drinker, perhaps tea or hot chocolate might have the same effect), and I went back to bed. I put a bunch of pillows behind me, made myself cozy, and opened my bible. I always started in the Psalms and often ended up other places in scripture. This was a routine I started after Josiah died. I set out to read five Psalms a day. I would read the Psalm for the day (for instance, if it was the 5th of the month, I would read the 5th Psalm first). Then I would read every thirtieth Psalm after that (5, 35, 65, 95, 125). This would allow me to read all the Psalms in one month - besides 119th which I read every other month on the 31st day because of its length. I didn't always read them all. Sometimes I'd get stuck in one that especially ministered to me. I allowed myself freedom with this. Each morning God gave me something new, something to meditate on that gave me hope. If you can have this time by a window, a beautiful sunrise is an added bonus to this time. If you can't see the sunrise from your window, just look out at the sky and be inspired by its beauty. If it's a gray day, just close the blinds and build the atmosphere in the room you are in - candles, soft music, etc.. Force yourself to spend a minimum of thirty minutes in God's word. You'll find this time flies by once you are being blessed. There were days that I'd sit there for well over an hour. After you are finished reading, spend time in prayer. I had trouble focusing my thoughts unless I wrote out my prayers. I penned my prayers in my journal. Then I took time to reflect on the hope that God had given me that morning and wrote about it in my journal as well. Even on days when I could only be sad, God's word gave me some purpose in my pain, but most days held some sort of spiritual enlightenment and excitement. You may ask how I managed to get this time with five other children in the house. Well, somehow God worked it out most days. There were times occasionally when my time was interrupted, but for the most part, the Lord woke me up very early and I woke craving him, truly desiring his help. It wasn't hard to keep this pattern going until I had healed enough to be able to sleep longer and form a routine that included my children in the morning.
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