Over the past few days, we’ve been discussing how to become peaceful people who can thrive in a chaotic environment. As the world we live in gets more and more fast-paced, this is critical. Today, I want to share something with you that I feel can help you live as a rooted and grounded person despite the constant movement around you: build a rhythm in life. My morning routine, I’ll call it my morning meditation routine, typically consists of five steps and takes about an hour. First and foremost, I get up at 5:15 a.m. every day (yes, even on Saturdays…I used to think I wasn’t a morning person until I found that waking up early is no problem if I go to bed on time). The first thing I do when I wake up is grab a cup of coffee and a large glass of water (because most mornings you wake up dehydrated). I walk to a small desk in my office with coffee and water in hand and spend approximately five minutes practicing the first stage of my routine: Scripture meditation.

Although it may appear “new agey,” meditation is a Jewish and Christian practice. In fact, the Bible says in eighteen different places to reflect on Scripture, but only four times does it mention to study it. In essence, meditation involves ceasing to think about other things and attempting to focus your mind solely on what you are doing. I usually practice this technique by reciting a known section of Scripture, such as Psalm 23 or The Lord’s Prayer, one verse at a time while breathing deeply, inhaling, and exhaling. I’ll occasionally combine this with worship, simply lifting up the name of Jesus, which sets a wonderful tone for the following phase of my routine, which we’ll discuss tomorrow.