Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.               Psalm 143:8

I love mornings.

I didn’t always, because I do love my sleep, but I’ve come to love early mornings when the world is quiet and still…there’s a brand new day in front of me filled with new opportunities and the unknown.

Each day that God gives me can be a new beginning.  It’s like having my reset button pushed, and I can choose how I’m going to live that day.

Will I live it rejoicing in His presence at the continued blessing of life?

Will I live it looking for opportunities to share with others?

Will I live it making good use of the time?

I’ve decided to quit fighting so hard to stay in bed.  My alarm is supposed to go off at 5:30, but often I wake up at 4 or 4:30 and lie there frustrated because I’m awake.  Instead of wasting that precious time trying to fall back asleep and with useless thoughts scampering about in my head, I’m going to get up and read my Bible, blog, draw…

It occurs to me that sometimes I approach my art in the same way I do my day…I keep lying there waiting for something fantastic to occur to me when I should just start a drawing.

Getting started has always been my weak point–not only in art, but in all sorts of things in my life.  I have lots of ideas, but actually getting up off my you-know-what and doing something about them is another story.  I’m not sure if it comes from a lifelong fear of failure or what.  You see, if I don’t start it, I don’t have to worry about “what if I’m not good enough to pull it off.”

It’s pretty self-centered, when I stop to think about it.  What does it matter if I’m good enough or not?  Is that the most important thing in the world? Take my art, for example:  it blesses many people, but it took me years before I could confidently share it and risk hearing people’s opinions about it.  I was willing to rob myself and others of the joy that sharing it brings because I didn’t want anyone not to like it.  Also, I didn’t want to appear to be bragging and looking for attention, so I was very self-conscious about showing it to others.

When God has given you a gift or a passion for something, He intends for it to be shared with others.  It doesn’t matter what it is–there’s a way to use it for His glory to reach out to His children.

So, today, I am celebrating TUESDAY–another day, another new beginning, another possibility…

Happy Tuesday!!!