(True confession, I started this blogpost on December 17, 2022 and am now posting on December 24. Lots and lots of prep time is what I'm loving!)
Today I love prep time. Well, I'm a teacher. Of course I love prep time. But I'm on Christmas break, soooo, what gives? Christmas break is not prep time...is it?
Well, I'm not talking about the minutes allotted by those who set the schedule for the school day during which teachers supposedly prepare for lessons. (Thank you, Jesus, for not calling me to THAT job and for so graciously gifting those You did!)
I'm also not talking about the prepping that The Man has been doing leading up to this weekend's winter storm. This was our view yesterday morning. Frigid temperatures, high winds and low wind chills, along with blowing drifts of snow postponed our family's Christmas Eve celebration plans. However, not only has The Man been able to get in extra firewood, I have also been given this extra pocket of time in which to finish this post. Yes, a bit of time to prepare for a storm is a blessing indeed, but that's still not what I'm talking about.
No, the time I'm truly loving today are those specific minutes I set aside each morning that I am able, to prepare for my whole day.
It is in these early morning minutes that I allow God to set the course for my mind and my heart.
As often as possible, I journal.
Most days it's, "Good morning Father, Thank you for this day and all that is to come in it..."
Some days it's, "Father! Guess what!?" (Like He doesn't already know, but He does love it when we tell Him anyway.)
Some days it's, "Oh Father, help!"
And some days, it is purely, "Father?"
Some days I'm able to take a quick dive into scripture, learning more about this Jesus I am following.
Some days I must listen as the "Bible app guy" reads scripture to me while I am hustling to brush my teeth or drive to school.
Some days I have the luxury of sitting, reading, listening, journaling, and luxuriating in uninterrupted time with Him. (Those are the days I like the best.)
In the grand scheme of things, we are all in a season of "prep time".
We are all preparing for something.
The question is, what are you preparing for?
Are you looking forward to a new season of life?
Is there a wedding on the horizon?
Perhaps a new baby?
Maybe a job change?
An upcoming adventure?
An exciting prospect?
An unavoidable sorrow?
I will undoubtedly spend part of this Christmas break preparing for my teaching duties for the remainder of the school year. But as 2022 begins to tuck itself away into our memories, I am looking ahead to my morning prep time in 2023.
Many of you know that I have spent this past year following along with Tara Leigh Cobble's The Bible Re-cap Chronological Bible reading plan through the YouVersion Bible app and the Bible Re-Cap podcast. As of [the beginning of] this writing, I'm 14 days away from finishing that reading plan and my excitement is building to dive right back in, this time with a different Bible translation, and YouTube videos that Tara Leigh is releasing to go along with the plan in the new year. I'm looking forward to making even more connections than I did this previous year. I'm looking forward to learning even more about this Jesus who is there from the very beginning pages of scripture and is there all the way through. He has saved me, He loves me, He loves you, and as Tara Leigh says, "He's where the joy is!"
It is my hope and prayer that some of you will join me in this adventure. You don't need to wait until January 1st to start, you can start whenever you are ready. You can start with the whole Bible or just the New Testament. Wherever or whenever you start I would advise spending some time getting ready. Tara Leigh has released 6 podcast episodes specifically marked as "prep episodes" to help you know how the plan works, and more importantly, why this can be a valuable investment of your time. You can listen to those episodes via the podcast, or watch them on YouTube.
Friends, bottom line, here's the thing:
Those minutes?
The ones I take first thing in the morning?
Those minutes add up to days.
Those days add up to weeks.
Weeks add up to months...months to years...and well, you get the idea...
Minutes add up to a lifetime.
How will you spend your minutes?
Today I will spend mine loving prep time.
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