It was one of those mornings. You lay there awake with your eyes half-opened, your body moving reflexively to turn off your alarm on your bedside. And you just lay there. Your body feels heavy and then your mind starts wandering. You start thinking about what you have to do today, then you are thinking about what you will wear. Then you start building a schedule of how your day will play out. Before you know it, you are meticulously plotting out every moment of your day, your week, and then you start worrying about the upcoming days…
Stop and take a breather.
As you brush your teeth, get your clothes prepared, or engage in whatever morning prayers you engage in, talk to the Lord.
This doesn’t have to be a formal prayer. Offer Him all your worries on his altar. Talk to him about whatever is on your heart. As St. Therese of Lisieux described her frequent prayer routine in Story of A Soul:
“I tell God, quite simply, all I want to say, and He always understands.”
The God who created the universe in all of its complexity knows what you are going through. No matter how much you are drowning in your work or struggling with certain vices, our Merciful Lord is there to reach us and catch us as Jesus caught Peter when he was drowning. (Mt 14:31)
The most crucial part of this morning conversation is to stop and listen after you’ve said everything you wanted to talk about. Ask the Lord to receive the Holy Spirit to be open to whatever He wants to give to you. He desires to give us what is best for us. But, we need to give Him that opportunity to give.
A good first step to having this morning conversation is when you immediately wake up, say an Our Father, letting Him be the first thought of your day. Then say a “Hail Mary,” asking our Mother to help us seek Him in our morning routines.
I will be keeping in my prayers. Vivat Jesus.
Josh Batugo | author
About this Author: Born and raised in Beltsville, Maryland, Josh is currently a sophomore studying Computer Science. Having a devotion to St. Therese of Lisieux, he strives to imitate her Little Way. Josh is a Japanese anime fanatic while romance comedies dominate his all-time favorite anime list. Inspired by Debussy’s Impressionistic and simple view of life through music and Paul Desmond’s cool jazz, these giants shaped his love for music. Joining the Knights of Columbus this year in the Catholic Student Center’s local Council, he is now a 4th degree knight, earning the title of “Sir Knight.” He also has a paper dragon named Cobalt sitting atop his pencil sharpener in his dorm.