Setting the Day

(Written October 2006)

We have been told over and over and over how important it is to start our day with Christ. That’s how we set the mood of our day. If we begin our day in prayer, focused on Him, it’s so much easier to keep our focus on Him through the day than if we wait until we need Him to calm us down from some unexpected turmoil or irritation. If we begin our day in His Word, then we hear His voice so much easier through the day because we are already tuned to hear it!

If it can set the day to spend time focused on Christ, then how might we set the day in other aspects of our life? An email story has circulated about a man who arose each day making choices to be thankful and cheerful no matter what his circumstances. He found this strength in Christ, but it affected not only his relationship with his Lord but every single aspect of his life.

There is one are aof our lives that is being very greatly neglected. We see this when we see the divorce rate in the church. As of the most recent research, the divorce rate in the church has exceeded that of the unchurched! What a horrible testimony we are setting before the world, especially given that marriage is the closest image we have to Christ’s relationship to us, the church.

I was talking to a friend of mine recently. She and her husband had been struggling in their marriage and decided that it was time to get outside help. After going to a session of counseling, they proceeded to follow the advice given them by their counselor (oh, that we all desire change so much that we would actually do what is suggested to us!). Their marriage began to immediately improve to the point that one morning my friend did not turn off her alarm and get up as soon as she was awakened. Instead she and her husband just stayed in bed and snuggled. Nothing spectacular or sexual – just a warm snuggle. Touch. Love shown to bring validation to the words spoken. At work that day, my friend spoke throughout the day of how loved she felt. For the first time in a while, every word proceeding from her mouth concerning her husband was positive! Each word was full of awe and love. The tone of her day was set by a snuggle.

Just as we must start our day in the presence of Christ, we must start our day in a positive relationship with our spouse. My husband and I snuggle almost every morning. We’ve done this continually through our nearly eight years of marriage, sometimes even in our sleep. We even set our alarm earlier than needed, not so we can snooze a couple of times, but so we can be alert early enough to snuggle together. The mornings we’ve missed this time have left me feeling that something is missing. On those mornings I haven’t wanted to let him leave for work because I have not had that time with him. I don’t think I realized just how crucial this time was to our marriage until I had the conversation with my friend about their snuggle morning. As she told me how that time with her husband set the tone for her day, I was reminded how important it was to me.

Start your day right! Are you struggling in your relationships with Christ, your husband, your children, your friends, your enemies, and people you don’t even know? Start your day in the arms of Christ. Are things good in your relationships? Start your day in the arms of Christ. Do you want to be able to have a day when you feel loved, protected, and cherished? Start your day in the arms of Christ. And as you do this, remember that marriage is the perfect symbol of Christ’s relationship to His beloved church and let a snuggle with your spouse help you strengthen your marriage relationship and remind you of how much Christ loves you!