Miracle Morning February – “Silence” and “Affirmations”

I’m an introvert and a homeschooling mama to three boys. These days, every day, I wake up to my 3 year old peering over my side of the bed telling me to get up and put some pants on because he wants me to go downstairs with him. From the second I open my eyes, there are non-stop demands on me and my time. As much as I try to have some personal quiet time in the mornings, when the kids are all awake, it just doesn’t happen the way I want it to. So, I’m committing February to be a month for getting up earlier and establishing a better morning routine BEFORE the children come downstairs.

I want you to do this with me! You don’t even have to wake up that early! Even just 10-20 minutes earlier than your usual time can make a world of difference in your attitude towards the day.

Hal Elrod is the mastermind behind “The Miracle Morning” and he described 6 elements that will make for the most successful, productive and joyful morning:

• Silence
• Affirmations
• Visualization
• Exercise
• Reading
• Scribing (writing)

In this post, I want to talk about my approach to the first two: Silence and Affirmations.

Silence –> Music and Prayer

I don’t know about you, but if I sit in silence or try to meditate for the first couple of minutes right after I wake up, I will fall back asleep in a hot second. And, often, when I first wake up, it takes my brain a while to get with the program and would be hard for me to bring to mind what I wanted to meditate on. So, I instead use these first few minutes to listen to worship/praise music. Listening to worship music gives my mind a chance to engage in a passive way and it puts my heart in the right place. Inevitably, the words of the song draw me into prayer, too, as I focus on who God is and His goodness and mercy towards us.

I do not have a ton of music of my own, so I often just go to youtube and listen to the video/song on there. Because I like to turn the volume up and also don’t want my kids to know I’m awake, I sit in a dark room with my headphones on, kneeling, standing or sitting as I feel led.

On the list of my favorite songs for these mornings are:

• “Throne Room“, “I exalt thee“, and “Show me your glory” by Kim Walker Smith.
• “Behold our God” by Sovereign Grace Music
• “Great are you Lord” and “Your glory” by All Sons & Daughters
• “Wonder of your mercy” by Matt Redman
• “It’s Your love,” “Remembrance,” and “Forever Reign” by Hillsong
• “How great is our God” by Chris Tomlin
• “You are I Am,” by Mercy Me
• “Great are you Lord” and “Here’s my heart” by Casting Crowns
• “It is well” and “In Christ alone” with Kristine DeMarco
• “My Living Hope” by Phil Wickham

As your music is wrapping up (you will likely be VERY tempted to stay here for a while, but try to limit yourself to one or 2 songs unless you have lots of time), go to God in prayer. Use the lyrics of the song to guide you in gratitude or praise for who God is. You can also flip open to Psalms and use any verse from there to kick-start your words. Many devotionals have written prayers and I love the book “The Valley of Vision” which has some beautiful, heart-felt puritan prayers. I usually make it a priority to ask God for His help in planning and navigating my schedule, praise Him for those I will be with that day, and ask Him to give me more of Himself.

Affirmations –> Spiritual Reminders

There are lots of different ways to do “affirmations” but I did not want to get anywhere near the “name it and claim it” type of thing, so I came up with a more Bibically sound method that takes time to write up but it is SO SO SO worth it. These Reminders, in a way, are like prayers, too. Yours can be just a few sentences, or you can write out a couple of pages. Once I got started and realized how much these words influenced my day, I wrote reminders for nearly every area of my life. The idea is that you will read these words out loud every morning for at least the 28 days of February and then change them as you feel necessary. I keep mine in a 3-ring binder so I can look back at ones I’ve previously written.

I’m providing a few examples below to get your mind started. I pulled from my favorite scriptures, bible studies, christian books, and my own goals/desires for my life. There are so many good things that we read or think about or hear, but then a few days go by and we forget. If you have written down or remember any of those sorts of things from your bible study, journal, church notes, etc., write them out in your reminders so that they are in the forefront of your mind each day.

Ex. #1: This is an excerpt from my Reminders for the kind of parent I want to be:

My desire in raising our kids is to show them Christ and help them to love a great God. I want to be a mom and wife who creates a home where Matt and our boys feel they belong, feel loved and valued,can serve and be served, can give and receive, and can celebrate all that is good. I want to create a LIFE-giving home, a legacy that will speak to generations. By my words and actions, and through prayer, I will create an atmosphere in our home of love, acceptance, belonging, forgiveness, and grace. Let me be a blessing to my boys, a godly mom they can trust and be thankful for.

Ex. #2: This is from my Reminders regarding our finances:

I want to be a good steward of all that God has given us, including our finances.  I want to be an example to our kids of financial wisdom, self-control, and prudence.  I will not fill emotional gaps in my life with spending! I will not spend recklessly with no regard for our future. I refuse to spend our life in the constant stress and worry of living a life we cannot afford.  I will be wise in improving our finances and will honor God and trust Him to provide. 

Ex. #3: This is from my Reminders regarding my goals/professional life:

God created me for a purpose. I have unique skills and talents and a unique, important perspective on life, that was crafted by Him. I will not let fear and insecurities rob me of the gift of this life. I refuse to let my fears rob me of the possibilities ahead.  I will trust in the Lord with ALL my heart and lean not on my own understanding.  In ALL my ways, I shall acknowledge Him and He shall direct my path, for He is able to do immeasurably more than all I could ask or imagine.  Lord, make your path for me clear, direct my heart and my steps that my life may glorify You. Give me Your desires in my heart and make Your plans succeed.  Establish the work of my hands, Lord and let Your purposes prevail. 

Even now, re-reading these words, I feel convicted in my spirit that I need to be reminding myself of these truths every single day. I will be a better mom if I remind myself of my true heart’s desire to be a godly mama to my boys; I will be a better wife if I remind myself of my calling to love and respect my husband. I will eat healthier and treat my body better if I remind myself of my desire to be strong and wise about my food choices. I will be wiser with our finances if I remind myself daily of our family’s needs and my desire to be a faithful steward. I will make progress on my goals and build up my courage if I remind myself that God has made me with a purpose.

Over and over in scripture, the prophets of old warned the Israelites to pay attention. To pay attention to what God had done in their pasts, to pay attention to what God had promised them, to pay attention to what God was doing in their midst even then. These reminders are not to tell ourselves how great we are or how great we could be, but, for me at least, they help me pay attention to those words in scripture or good books or podcasts or sermons that stirred my heart towards God. As you write out your affirmations/reminders, let the words inspire and encourage you! Maybe it’s just a single verse that gets you going like Hebrews 10:39 – “But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved!” or maybe it’s a simple phrase like “I am lavishly loved by God;” or making a list of things you are committed to doing: a diet, a bible study, memorizing scripture, being smart with money; serving your husband….

I promise you that if you take just a few minutes to jot down a few notes or verses that will remind you of who you are in Christ and that will inspire you and encourage you as you go into your day, you will start your morning with joy and peace and a renewed sense of purpose and determination.

I’d love to hear your affirmations/reminders if you’d like to share them in the comments below!