Dawn's First Call by Diane Fernald
What do you do first thing in the morning? What’s that routine you’ve settled into - either intentionally or by default? Are you one of those folks who heads directly for the bathroom, brushing teeth, sleepily staring into the mirror wondering how to face another day? Are you the one checking email or Twitter on your phone before your feet have even hit the floor? Or is that cup of coffee a requirement for you to actually open your eyes?
What calls you out of bed- what is your “dawn’s first call”? The alarm? The gym? Work? Walking the dog? Reading the news?
There are many ways to start the day, each as unique to the person, I think, as their fingerprint. And I would suggest that for each of us, our “first of morning” routine stamps its particular imprint on the coming day much as we leave our fingerprints upon every surface we touch. What we do first thing in the day, what we read, what we hear, what we see - has great impact upon how we will think and move and feel for the rest of the day ahead.
As I mentioned last week, there is a basic premise to the Simply Sacred Life, a core truth that shines as a beacon to all that comes after: Only One Thing is Needful. And if this is really true, then what we do first thing in the morning should underscore that basic truth: if One Thing is Needful, how to I establish that in my life as the cornerstone?
Prayer. That is the beginning. That is where one marks the day as blessed, holy, sacred. Make prayer your Dawn’s First Call.
I, as millions upon millions have for centuries, and as many do today - begin the day with prayer. Prayer is my Dawn’s First Call. On awakening, I lift a prayer of praise up to God in those first moments of awakening. I think of Him, and praise Him - the God of my being, the God of my life. When problems and concerns crowd my mind, I push those aside. I resist emails, texts, Facebook. I refuse to read the news. My first call is to prayer -to praising Him and to Him alone. God asks for the First Fruits - and to me, that includes the First Fruit of my day; my breath, my heart, my soul, my first minutes, my first hour. My own troubles and concerns belong to another time - not to this place of Dawn’s First Call, this place of prayer.
We choose “the good part” when we intentionally begin each day with time turned toward Him. For me, that first hour is when He calls to me, and we sit together - just Him and me. I have decades of experience in this to underscore my deep and sure knowledge that life is best lived - to its fullest and in its most meaningful way - when each day begins with God Himself.
The sacredness of Dawn’s First Call is that God is at the center of this time. Start with what you can do: ten minutes is enough to start, provided you are faithful to those ten minutes each and every day. It’s not so much a matter of how much time you spend, but how your heart is positioned, how much you are oriented toward Him. It is the constancy of the practice; the faithfulness of showing up each morning, no matter how tired, or cranky, or sick - we stay faithful, we show up - ready to pour our hearts out to Him, and ready - always - to listen. For it’s important to remember that all conversation is a give and take; a back and forth of words, gestures, ideas, feelings. And prayer - our conversation with God - is no different. It is a back and forth. We speak, and then we wait. We wait to hear what He will speak back to us - and make no mistake: God speaks to all, it is simply a matter of recognizing His voice, His tone, His manner.
Think about a conversation with a good friend - someone you’ve known for many years; it could be your spouse, a sister or brother, or an old childhood friend. Even when you speak with them on the phone (or today, in texts or emails), you can see or hear their tone of voice; you can hear happiness in the lilt of the voice, or disapproval in the sharp tone. You can detect doubt in the hesitant word, or concern in the measured tone of a phrase. In the same way, praying each day to our heavenly Father brings us into that same level of intimacy. You come to sense His whisper; the caress of His breath on your cheek; the beating of your heart when He’s about to pour out blessing, the tears in your eyes when you sense His approval, the hitch in your heart when you feel His disappointment. In daily prayer, God becomes our Friend, our Guide, our Beloved. He becomes known to us intimately, and our heavenly relationship grows.
Along with intimacy and relationship, being faithful to Dawn’s First Call brings practical blessings as well. I noticed in the first weeks of praying first thing every morning that my days were simply better, less harried somehow. Life “flowed” more easily. I was clearer when confronted with problems; solutions seemed to settle into my mind more easily, more quickly. I felt easy in my skin, peaceful in my heart - and that overflowed to those around me. Laughter bubbled up more often - and when I was upset or angry, there was a sense of restraint that popped up in my heart and mind, and sense of time slowing down - as if a Father’s hand were coming down gently to stop my foolish words, my careless act. I wasn’t always obedient to that Holy Hand over my mouth or heart, but it was consistent. Prayer was changing me, and for the better.
But make no mistake: morning prayer does not guarantee a perfect day; it does not remove all problems, and won’t remove all of life’s disappointments, sorrows, tragedies and losses. Prayer does not guarantee that things will be perfect. But prayer does give us access to the One with infinite wisdom, with unbounded power, with overwhelming love - and for His faithful friends and lovers, He will gladly share His mind and heart with us. We will be blessed and strengthened; we will choose wisely during the day, we will naturally fall into step with our Father, Friend, and Advocate, with the Lover of our soul. I can think of no better way to begin my day, no better way to step into the daily of the Simply Sacred Life.