TONE

I may have mentioned previously that  I had a neck problem for years, had, because it’s healed!  I had somewhat constant  pain in my neck (and quite often I was/am the pain in the neck) that interrupted and limited my life and sometimes made me slightly grumpy.  It had something to do with the bones, muscles and nerves in my neck and shoulder (duh) that were not working properly because they were weak or not in the right place or not communicating properly with my brain.  I had various treatments to no avail.  The final healing treatment was with a massage therapist who worked on manipulating my neck, getting my neck and shoulder nerves to calm and release the pain.  It simply was miraculous.  I say that to this day – the Lord healed my neck through this woman.

One of the parts of those treatments was how she wanted me to start my day.  When I woke up each morning I was to lay in bed for a few minutes gently stretching my shoulders, my neck, my back and my arms.  She mentioned that if I stretched out and loosened those muscles and nerves before getting out of bed it would set the tone for how my neck felt for the day.  If I stretched out first I would be more flexible, if I jumped out of bed without first flexing, my muscles and nerves would be rigid.  Either path I chose could dictate how my neck would feel for the day.

It was quite a struggle for me to do, because I’m a go-go-goer, my eyes pop open, my feet hit the floor, I’m dressed and downstairs, half a cup of coffee gone before my alarm stops beeping, but I tried it.  And I could see a huge difference.   Taking 60 whole seconds (whew) before getting out of bed actually set the tone for my entire day.  This started me thinking, oh boy, if this is good for my body, how could I apply this to other parts of my life?  Would it work for my mind?

Do we open our eyes each morning with the gottas or the get tos?  You know it’s all about perspective.  Is our first thought ugh! look what I’ve got to deal with today? Do we automatically make a mental list of the gottas before our feet hit the floor?  You know, start the list, map out the day, plan the course, rehearse the challenges before we’re even upright?  Our world says go-go-go, it moves at such a fast pace that the moment we open our peepers (as our Aunt Vernie used to say) the race has begun and our brains automatically jump to the gottas.  It’s maddening to feel exhausted from the day before we even get out of bed, isn’t it?  Then a lightbulb went off – I need to apply the stretch and flex to my mind that I apply to my body.  Billions of dollars are spent each year taking care of our bodies, shouldn’t we also do the same with our minds — which is free!

So, when my peepers open, before my feet hit the floor, I set the tone for my day.  You may have another way, but might I suggest that the only way to really take care of our minds is to turn them over to the One who created them? How?  By praising Him with our minds before we get out of bed.  Not praying the gimmes, not asking Him for a thing, but simply by bringing our praise to Him, acknowledging Him for who He is.  All.  It sets the tone for the day.  It may change our gottas in the day to get tos.  It will change our attitudes, our mindsets.

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.  Romans 12:1-2

God has made it perfectly clear that He wants obedience from our hearts.  He has also made it perfectly clear that we cannot do this alone.  We set the tones for our day.  We can either let Him transform us or we can continue to try to transform ourselves, which is simply not possible.  But, if we offer ourselves to Him each morning, along with our sacrifice of praise, He will transform us and transform our days.  Unlike the health care industry, this transformation costs us nothing but 60 seconds.  Try it.

Be near me Lord, I cannot live without thee.

I dare not try to take one step alone.

I cannot bear the loads of life unaided.

I need they strength to lean myself upon.

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I will enter His gate with thanksgiving in my heart.

I will enter His courts with praise.

I will say this is the day that the Lord has made.

I will rejoice cause He has made me glad.

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Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,

The King of Creation.

O my soul praise Him

for He is my health and salvation.

All ye who hear,

Now to His presence draw near.

Join Him in glad adoration.

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This is the day.  This is the day

That the Lord has made.

We will rejoice, we will rejoice

and be glad in it.

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In the morning when I rise.

In the morning when I rise.

In the morning when I rise, give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus. Give me Jesus.

You can have all of this world, give me Jesus.