Fresh chalk on a clean board.

My alarm goes off way too early on the days I have to work. 5:30 am. I always hit the snooze button one time to get 10 more minutes of sleep. I hear my coffee maker on it's final drip of coffee brewing and I start my day. "Lord this is another day you have given me. I want to use it completely for you. I want to be the person you need me to be. I want to be the woman, mother, friend, nurse, co-worker, every aspect of my life I give to you. I give this day completely to your purpose and will for my life." Then I slip my toes out of the cover to hit the floor. Two cups of coffee while reading my favourite devotions on Crosswalk.com and my day is ready to begin. Once I clock in at the hospital there is little time to anything other than focusing on my job as a surgical nurse. But, this much I do know. I have started many days with such a heavy heart, burdened, overwhelmed and wondering how on earth to get through a challenging day...and when I give God my everything...everything I am not, I am, hope to be and want to be...He is faithful to meet me right at my alarm clock and take over. I invite His divine presence into my day regardless of where my circumstances may place me I give thanks. I know that He cares for me and is waiting for my morning stress call. He is waiting there with his arms and hands open to take everything I give him so I can get out of bed and walk freely in his grace, mercy and forgiveness. It reminds me of when I was in first grade and my teacher would let students wash the chalk board at the end of the day so it would be fresh and clean for the next school day. The board would be grey looking with all the chalk dust and even the eraser would not get the residue off....but when you added water to a towel...the board would look brand new. A deep color of black...clean and clear for a new day of school work. That is our grace everyday. By night time our chalkboards have become pretty dusty. We have scribbled, erased..well we tried to erase, crossed out, or even started a new problem in the corner. Our sweet Jesus offers us the water that will wash every little bit of residue from our chalkboards. He will wipe the slate clean so we can start all over. He will dust us off, rinse us clean and then hand us a brand new piece of chalk each morning. So when your alarm clock goes off...remember to say thank you, to give God your chalk board for the day and then accept His fresh clean board with a new stick of chalk before your toes ever touch the floor.