I Will Look Up: The one resolution you need this year

My voice shall you hear in the morning, O LORD; 

in the morning will I direct my prayer to you, and will look up. 

Psalm 5:3

I will look up with a little sigh when she shuffles early into my room, as she does every morning. I will close the laptop and pull back the covers so she can crawl in. I will pull the covers up far enough to shade her eyes from the lamplight. She will rub her eyes sleepily and ask to snuggle, or for a snack, or cry a little and say she’s cold. Whether she’s happy or grumpy, whatever mood or day it is, one thing remains the same: My workday begins now. And though my flesh may long for more sleep, more me-time, more margin, I will trust Him with each moment, and I will look up.

I will look up from my computer in frustration, wanting to beat my head against the wall. My narrow window of free time is closing fast, and the health insurance site isn’t working and I still need to get groceries before picking up the kids from a birthday party. I will feel my blood pressure rising as I fight to breathe, pray, trust. I will fight the feeling of failure and defeat as I reflect back on a day where nothing went as planned. With a deep breath and a whispered prayer, I will look up.

I will look up sharply when she says the words. They’re wounding, and I reel a bit as I stumble through keeping the conversation going. What did she mean by that? I had felt such peace and calm a few minutes ago; why will I allow this person to throw me for a loop? Slowly, like cold water seeping in, I will feel the insecurity and fears creep around me. But as I drive away I will remind myself of all the gospel truth I read that very morning, and even though I’m feeling shaken, I will look up.

I will look up at the amount as she rings up my groceries. That much? Things are tight and I can feel that tightening in my chest and trust is the only thing that loosens everything and makes me free. I will turn my attention to the truth tucked into my heart, and I will look up.

I will look up at the calendar and wonder where on earth those dozen days went. The weeks go by faster and faster and is it really a new year again? Is it really two-thousand-fourteen? And suddenly my parents are aging so fast and my kids aren’t so little anymore and did I spend enough time rocking, cuddling, caring? What sorrows will the coming years bring? But instead of dwelling back there or up ahead, I will step into this moment, anchored to eternity, and I will look up.

I will look up at the woman in the mirror. Why does she look so tired? So old? I will look at her shoulders, drooping from the weight of responsibility, of letting many lean hard into her daily. I will be tempted to despair, tired and overwhelmed. But I will receive His new mercies, call to mind His faithfulness, and I will look up.

As I look back on my childhood, I can see myself standing on a metal folding chair in church, listening to and watching the adults around me sing this simple chorus, with eyes closed and palms upturned:

Oh Lord in the morning, will I direct my prayer, 

unto Thee and will look up.

It is really that simple. The first and most important order of business, for life, is to look up. Consistently, persistently, continually.

I have read through the Bible, cover to cover, fifteen times. For fifteen years I have made the one small, simple, humble habit of looking up every morning. It is nothing spectacular or thrilling. It is just a long string a little obediences. It is a simple decision to rise and seek Him first. Before little ones. Before the phone begins to chime. Before the onslaught of life comes, unrelenting, my way. Before my conflicting desires pull me different directions. Above all and before all, I humbly commit to look up. This one small habit has changed my life more powerfully than anything else.

When I seek Him first each morning He hands me the lens through which I see the rest of my day. He orders my steps. He calms my fears. He quiets the cacophony of voices in my head. He blankets me with His peace. He directs through His Word. He convicts me, lovingly, through His Spirit. He woos me with His love.

I will make my aim clear: I plead with you, this year, to make a daily looking up habit each day. Read through God’s Word. Pray. Without this one resolution, all others will be off kilter. Without True North, all other goals and aspirations will be off course. As Jeff always says:

Sin isn’t just doing bad things. Sin is making good things into ultimate things.

Without looking up to Him first, we will look up to other things and make them ultimate things. We will look up to fear. We will look up to money. We will look up to other people’s opinions. We will look up to fitness and our body image. We will look up to our to-do list. We will look up to our children’s performance. We will look up to the tragedies and sorrows which threaten to crush us daily. We will look up to temporal happiness and fleeting flirtations with success as a source of our daily hope and joy.

Friends, please–look up first. Seek Him first.

And, if you’d let me, I’d love to help. I’m so, so, so, so, so (get that?) excited to share with you a new e-book.  I Will Look Up: 31 mornings seeking Him first.  It is a simple devotional to help you kick off the first 31 days of 2014 right. It is the very best blog posts of 2013 turned into devotionals with verses and action steps to help you seek Him first. And on January 1st, Lord willing, it’s FREE. So please consider a Looking Up resolution for 2014 and I’d be honored if you’d let me walk with you the next few weeks. Please share, spread the word, and let’s start a trend of seeking Him first. 

{Excited to journey with you into 2014. Thanks for reading.}