Mornings.

Bubbles of consciousness breach the stagnant surface of my mind. A new day is quickly arriving for me. Before my eyelids peel back, and reveal the light, I can already hear the buzz of activity all around me. Some days start slower than others, and such mornings seem like the worst to start anything important. At that juncture in time, it seems like the mood for the day has been set. The day's work seems daunting, even crushing at times. It seems never-ending, and what's worst, it is nothing new under the sun for me. If only it was something new, I reason, I will show much enthusiasm in approaching it. If only I didn't have to deal with the minor issues, it will be so much more fulfilling.

Then, sometimes I remember that the start doesn't matter as much as how I finish, or I recall how the Lord enables me to "bend a bow of bronze". It doesn't seem so bad after all, since all these labors are good for sharpening my mettle. I am sure of why and how I must approach the matters at hand.

Most days, I do not remember, and am found in frustration. I forget that I am not a mere servant, but a friend of God. Friends do not do things out of compulsion, but out of love. Thus, I am placing a stone of reminder for this frail mind of mine - so that it may not fail the first test of faithfulness in the morning. This is the tension within, the first battle of the day - whether to hear the sounds of buzzing activity without, or to focus on the Holy Spirit's guiding whispers within.