Peggy Boldizsar Nunley

I love mornings when I crawl out of bed with a song in my heart. I begin my morning worshiping and reflecting on the beauty and bigness of God. I feel my emotions rise inside of me and I just can’t get enough of basking in His presence. In fact, I wish every morning I could awaken to worship.

In reality though, those moments are more rare then common. I’m a mom of four kids all under the age of 10. Two girls and two boys. My husband is a church planter by day and ER doctor by night. Life is crazy busy and the demands are never ending. So, most mornings I don’t awaken to worship, but I roll out of bed fighting for a heart to want to worship!

I’m sure if your a mom, you can relate. Between 4am-6am your bed begins to feel really crowded. The comfort of solitude and space that ended your night is now engulfed with elbows and feet. You wonder how in the world did that half size little person manage to stretch out over an entire king size bed? This my friend is the mystery that all parents wonder in the wee hours of the morning. The hour when your fighting for your 1/2 inch of grip to not fall out of bed.

I’m thankful for the snuggles and the struggle. I can only imagine that Jesus must have felt some of the same struggles I feel. Now I know He never had children per say, but I’m certain He had to fight when he awoke each day to engage in a heart focused on His Father.

The Bible says, “for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross…” sounds like He made a choice before He ever got to a place of struggle, to set joy before Him. He endured pain, struggle, distraction, betrayal, rejection, and loss because He had a focus on His Father who held His joy.

I decided a long time ago, that rare natural moments of worship needed to be embellished and embraced. But “fight for a heart to want to worship” needed to be intentional, prioritized, and non-negotiables of my day.

In James it says, “Consider it all joy when you encounter various trials, knowing the testing of your faith produces endurance..” Sounds a lot like what Jesus did when He “for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross…”

So today and every day I choose joy. I choose to endure. I choose to fight the good fight of faith so I can experience and embellish the amazement of my enourmous, loving, detail-oriented, awe striking, holds the galaxies in his hands- Father in Heaven.

What about you? Are you being intentional in awakening your heart to worship or are you still focused on the 1/2 inch of bed and trying not to fall out? It’s time to let go of your grip and entrust your struggle, distraction, betrayal, rejection and loss to the One who holds your joy. Jesus is well able to fill and fulfill your whole day, week, month, and life.