Yesterday I had a relentless migraine that materialized before I ever got out of bed. My goal was to complete my last research paper for graduate school by bedtime yesterday; I finished six of eight pages, but I decided I’d be better off finishing it minus the nausea, pain, and throbbing which overwhelmed me. I went to bed last night after taking what little medication I’m allowed to take while pregnant and hoped–rather, prayed–for the best. Okay, let’s be honest–I BEGGED for relief!
I woke up at 4:30 a.m. (one of my many nightly breaks from sleeping) and ate a small snack, thinking a full belly would be more conducive to completing the six hours of sleep I had hoped for.
Fortunately, God had other plans. As I lay there attempting to get cozy enough to lull my exhausted self back to sleep, I found myself humming hymns to our baby, praying for people I hadn’t even thought of in months, and contemplating a potential plan to earn extra income after the birth of our baby. After making coffee and reheating my corn pillow heating pad, and realizing that attempting to fall back asleep for a mere 30 minutes was futile, I succumbed to my apparent refusal to sleep and got up out of bed.
As I poured my one tiny cup of coffee for the day, I found myself whispering, “Thank You!”
In that moment, I recognized that God did for me what I could not do for myself. He woke me up, without any nausea (which is no minor miracle for me these days), and gave me a reprieve from the unbearable pain I’d been feeling for over 36 hours. He wouldn’t let me go back to sleep, but in exchange for another hour of sleep, I gained valuable solace with Him and the opportunity to get my mornings back–even if only for today.
I wasn’t always a morning person, but the past two years, I’ve slowly evolved into one. Prior to pregnancy, I woke up every day, regardless of my plans or schedule, at least an hour prior to beginning my daily duties and routine. I spent this hour reading the Bible, meditating on Scripture, and blogging about the blessings in my life.
Since becoming pregnant, I’ve been plagued almost non-stop with a multitude of unpleasant symptoms. These symptoms forced me to adapt my schedule and sacrifice my precious morning time with God. I still found ways to sneak in time with Him, but for me, it hasn’t felt the same.
As I took my first sip of the one tiny cup of coffee I’ll have today, I literally almost cried. It actually tasted heavenly. Coffee, as many of you know, is one of the great loves of my life. Since becoming pregnant, I’ve often become nauseated at the smell of it brewing. The fact that I actually savored a sip of coffee this morning struck me as a gift from God.
Time to sing to my baby and pray for my friends. New ideas. A sense of physical well-being. Nuggets of wisdom from digging through God’s word. Enjoyment from a sip of coffee.
These are all gifts God has already given me today, and I haven’t even technically begun my day.
That’s what I’m talking about.
Thank You, God, for giving me the morning back.
Gratitude Cup 
Only naysayers say there are no miracles today :). I know otherwise.
Hope your morning routine just continues to improve and that you can keep up the connection with God. It’s so vital to starting the day off right. Even moreso than adequate sleep!
this is awesome,a nd a bit coincidental. My normal nighttime ritual is facebooking on the iphone, watching netflix, and falling asleep. There’s been some things weighing heaving on my heart, and I was compelled to pray the Rosary last night and actually fell asleep mid-way through.
I woke up this morning, and I was compelled to pray to the Lord for His Grace and thanking Him for another day of life. My usual morning ritual is just trying to open my eyes. I became overcome with peace, and even made it early enough into work with time to grab a starbucks!
I love what you wrote this morning – who says there is no evidence of miracles?
Peace be With You,
Henry
Reblogged this on Just wheat and commented:
It may seem small to some, but the difference in how I feel this morning as compared to how I’ve been feeling most mornings lately is HUGE! Just had to share.