Anchoring Our Mornings in Faith

“We Are God’s Handiwork” was the catchcry of our Primary Assembly this week. As we begin our Term 1 wellbeing focus, our foundation is centred around the passage from Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” In light of this, our staff and students are exploring what it means to “Put God First” in our homes, our classrooms, and our thoughts and decisions. Naturally, discussions around routines, attitudes, and organisation rise to the surface as we seek to empower students to take ownership of what it means to Put God First.

The phrase rolls off the tongue with ease: “We Put God First.” It sounds right, and we feel good when we declare it. But what does it mean for each of us? How do we empower our children to Put God First? Are we as parents and educators leading by example?

Back in the days when I had more hair, a squinty-eyed me used to wake up to my alarm, press snooze, roll out of bed as late as possible, rush to eat breakfast, hurry the family to get ready and promptly drive to school. It was a wobbly way to start the day and not one that honoured God as I scrambled to my post.

My heart told me something needed to change. I made one small change: I made it a habit to begin my first moments at my desk reading a daily devotion from the book ‘Jesus Calling’. It helped me focus my attention on a daily biblical theme, and it eliminated some of the frantic nature of the day. But I still found myself rushed and not giving God the space He deserved. Thankfully, I discovered the book ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear, which I highly recommend.

James Clear uses the term “habit stacking”, where you take one regular habit and after that is complete, it triggers the next. It’s a routine that, when practised, becomes innate. This concept inspired me to rewrite my morning wake-up routine. The ‘trigger’ that started the routine was getting out of bed immediately when my alarm sounds, then, walk/run the dog, listen to the Bible or a devotion, brush the dog, make the coffee, eat breakfast, brush my teeth and drive to school. This ‘habit stack’ sets me up to be the best I can be for my day, but also, it puts God first.

As we settle into the rhythm of the new school year, I wonder what ‘habit stacks’ you and your family might explore together? Perhaps it’s praying after the seatbelts click in the car, or reading scripture as you eat breakfast together. It could even be a Sunday night habit stack that sets everyone up for the week. As we introduce and refine our routines, let’s do so striving for Christ to be the foundation of our beginnings and also the foundation of our very being.