You’ve heard the phrase – win the morning, win the day. It’s true that how we start our days can set us on a trajectory. It’s the first dot in charting the course of our day.

I’ve come to realize though that my best chance at “winning” the morning sounds more like the hymn, In the Morning When I Rise, Give Me Jesus.

Starting my mornings with more surrender and letting God win the day for me has been a strategy for me that beats all other odds. Many of you know this too.

I think about the start of my day specifically with regard to parenting, mothering. Mothering is hard work, (I hear the collective, amen.) When you carry the burden and feel the pressure of wanting to do it well, do it better, do it “perfectly” – the burden can consume and feel overwhelming.

When our fierce love and protection are motivated by fear and managed by self-striving, it shows up angry, critical, controlling. Am I right? We’ve all been there as moms (you are not alone), and it surely does NOT feel like A WIN.

The days I don’t SURRENDER my fears to Jesus and TRUST God for the “wins,” are the days I LOSE TO FEAR.

And the saddest part? My kids don’t see the truest part of me as their fierce protector and loving mama, but the fearful shadow part of me that can show up angry. (Thank God that His mercies are new every day!!)

Being a mama bear and not a grizzly requires surrendered fear. A healthy protector needs to keep fear in check.

Want to know what you are afraid of? Look at what you try most to control. Look to what triggers you into big emotions. There you will find your fears.

I encourage you in whatever roles you have in life, to start a morning practice of surrendering those fears. Think of it as, “if only just for today, I’m letting go and trusting God with (fill in the blank).”

There are verses and stories all throughout Scripture that attest to God’s trustworthiness, goodness, and faithfulness. Take one of these to use as a reminder and reinforcement throughout your day when you find yourself in a battle with fear.

Create a new inner dialogue: “God, you are in control – I don’t have to be. You are trustworthy. I invite into, one day at a time. Today I can trust you.”

Thank you, God, that…

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new EVERY MORNING; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).

This verse can bring confusion when we don’t understand the meaning of that word – GOOD- in this scripture. Our initial thoughts tend to define “good” as, “something to be desired or approved of.” I know that I would never use that definition to describe some of the seasons or circumstances I have found myself in, or see other people walk through on a daily basis. We have all found ourselves in circumstances that are nothing close to being our desire, and most certainly do not get our stamp of approval. But in this verse the word – good – speaks more to our welfare , or well-being. In this passage, GOOD refers to holiness, faith, or sanctification. I want to encourage you that even though it may be difficult to see God’s purposes in your circumstances, your sanctification and salvation are on His heart and mind in ALL things. And THAT.IS.GOOD.

“I’m a burden.” Do you tell yourself these words?

There’s a difference between BEING a burden, and FEELING the weight from a burden you are carrying.

We all have burdens at different times in life. It can be parenting stress; grief; depression; addiction; and the list goes on.

You stay stuck when your burden becomes your identity. “I’m a burden,” can paralyze you, keep you from reaching out, and solidify shame.

When we don’t reach out, the weight of our burden gets heavier over time.

The GOOD NEWS! In Galatians 6:2 it says that we are to bare (to carry) one another’s burdens, and therefore fulfill the law of Christ.

We are meant to carry each other’s burdens. To walk along side each other, in love, is for the SPIRITUAL GOOD of both parties. For the one feeling the burden, it’s a release of pain with the hope of relief. For the one coming alongside to help, it’s an opportunity to be a gift and unleash grace overflowing.

You are not meant to carry life’s burdens alone. Sharing and carrying one another’s burdens “fulfills the law of Christ.” Don’t let the enemy deceive you into thinking that the burden you carry, is WHO you are, and steal the hope and healing that comes from reaching out to a trusted one to share the load.

Have you ever averted your gaze, looked down or away, hidden your eyes or your face out of shame or embarrassment? Rhetorical question, right? It’s instinctive- hiding. We have emojis for this . In Numbers 6:24-26, we’re told the Lord makes His face shine on us – that He turns toward us. Imagine your chin being lifted to meet His eyes in those moments you want to hide yours. God wants to take our shame and replace it with His divine and gracious favor. Augustine of Hippo said, “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.” Shame is a thief to rest and peace, but verse 26 tells us it’s restored when we meet His eyes. There’s a burden that’s lifted when we allow ourselves to be seen. Allowing Him to see into “the windows of our soul.” Verse 26 says there’s a peace that can replace the pain. We all have moments we’d rather forget. Moments we shudder at remembering. Close your eyes and allow yourself to go to one of those moments that still cause you to hide but this time see God coming near. Notice him lifting your chin to meet His gaze, then holding your cheeks in His hands with tenderness. Will you choose to meet His eyes? Its’s vulnerable. Exposing. Humbling. Allow yourself to meet the gentle eyes that can speak volumes without words: You are SEEN. You are LOVED. You are FORGIVEN.

That’s the question asked in Psalm 121:1. The answer comes next in verse 2. Want to know where to fix your gaze? It’s not the mountains. Mountains can be captivating, full of grandeur and beauty. OR, if they’re in the way, they can elicit fear or discouragement. In this psalm, we’re reminded that our source of HOPE and STRENGTH is not to be placed in the beauty or the barriers in this world. We are reminded to shift our gaze from the mountain to our Maker. Where is your hope and strength coming from today? What are the mountains you’re looking to that always leave you unsatisfied? What are the mountains in your life that need MOVED? Take a moment. Close your eyes. Picture your mountain. Shift your gaze to the One who made the mountain… to the One who moves mountains. Take this into your day as a mantra… “Today I’m looking to my Maker and not the mountain.” Make an edit in your story – one page at a time

“Midlife.” It’s not a crisis but more like an UNRAVELING as Brene Brown would say. Healthy change and healed chapters, your Story Edits…they’re all about an unraveling. An undoing. A moving towards, and a moving back. And in my opinion, opportunities that can lead to BECOMING more of who God created you to be. HE uses this one life, the ups and downs, the break-throughs and the break-downs, the joy and the pain, the set-spikes and the set-backs, the excitement AND (yes) the suffering to bring you into a person of HIS design. HE’s always fashioning you, even on, (especially on)the anvils of life. HE promises something beautiful in the making…. a heart more like His and lives as sojourners that leave legacies that point to the ONE who brings meaning to it all. Meaning to ALL our chapters. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in 50 years, it’s that there’s no greater joy, no greater peace, no greater thrill, no greater excitement, no greater love, than walking in the identity and knowledge of this truth…it’s not about a life that “did it my way,” but a life thats’s surrendered to HIS way. So here’s to another (dare I say it!) 50 years of surrendering to all that God is doing in me, and through me. Being FASHIONED, prayerfully, into an instrument for His plans and purposes, goodness and glory.