What do you set your eyes on in the morning?

During my counseling, one of things that always tugged at my heart was a feeling of loneliness or emptiness. I could never really put my finger on it and I was never sure why it was there or what I was missing.

The days I woke up that way, I made many attempts to fill that hole with things that cheer me up: emails, blogs, TV, coffee, etc. Did I feel better after that? Yeah, sometimes. But it was a temporary fix…a bandaid to mask the lonliness for a little while. Amazing how I couldn’t get it through that thick skull that the only thing that would fill me was time with God.

I remember feeling mad that my husband wasn’t filling me enough and my counselor said, “Marci, that’s not his job!!!” My response, “What? But, isn’t he supposed to love and serve me and take care of me???” Yes! But she said something that totally changed my perspective, “Marci, the only thing that fills that hole is God! Your cup must be full in Him before you can give to others. You give of yourself out of the overflow and others may increase your overflow. But it is no one else’s job to fill Marci except the Lord.” Whoa! That’s a change in perspective!

Do you ever have days you wake up and think, “I just know it…this is going to be a bad day!” That’s me today. I woke up later than I wanted, Dave was already gone, and I was totally unmotivated to do anything. As usual, my mind immediately went to things that I thought might cheer me up and make me feel better. I made coffee, turned on Good Morning America, checked my email, looked at some blogs. But I knew I was making a choice of how to spend my morning. And if it continued as it was going, I would leave for work and feel just as empty as I did when I woke up.

I forced myself to shut down my email, turn off the TV, heat up my coffee, and grab my Bible. Sometimes I think reading the Bible is going to make me feel more exhausted and worn out. What a lie! It’s amazing how Satan will do anything to keep you from intimate time with the Lord. And I don't even have kids yet :0)

I turned on some worship music, sat down and began working on my Bible study. It became evident that my heart had an immediate shift. I was suddenly reminded of what I had learned from my counselor. When I wake up and I am running on empty, I need to run to my Father’s feet and be filled. Anything else would be putting my mind and heart on things that ultimately are unfulfilling and I would be set in the wrong direction. Instead of asking God to come down and be with me and walk with me, I need to go to Him, cling to him, and walk with HIM!!!

2 Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, He remains Faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”

Oh how thankful I am that God cannot be anything other than He truly is. Even when I am unfaithful, He remains faithful to me, always beckoning me to come closer to Him.

I don’t know if your day has started out like mine, but if so, go spend some time with your Father. You will be refreshed, rejuvenated, and your heart will overflow! During my time with God, I had a sense to blog about this so I hope it's an encouragement to someone out there today!