God called the light day, and the darkness might. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. – Genesis 1:5

A cliche handed to busy moms often goes something like this: “if you’re not excited when you wake up in the morning you need to change what’s waiting for you when you get up.” And while it might sound super deep and make the person who said it feel smart and trendy it’s just not helpful. Because really… my magic wand has been out of batteries for years and I really can’t change my babies into independent pottiers, my teens into non-hormonal and wise citizens and even if I hit my husband with the wand he’s not going to be able to hear the children in the middle of the night the way I can. Which makes me wonder what this saying thinks I should do? Wave goodbye to my current life and go live on the tip of a mountain surrounded by blue sky and goats?! Umm… no. So how do you wake up excited in the morning?

In the verses preceding Genesis 1:5 we are told that God did some stuff. He worked hard making real things from nothing (yeah, that would be hard for sure because making dinner from ingredients every night can be taxing). But God took nothing, made light and told day to go over there and night over there and they stayed. Think of separating fighting kids. Exhausting. And they usually don’t stay apart. So yeah. God had a full day. But after that full day came a thing called evening.

Have you ever paused on that word evening? Or did you jump right over it to find out about the next day? Can I offer you something worth pausing over; more helpful than a cliche?

If you are not excited when you wake up in the morning you need to protect your evening.

See God could have said, “ hey humanity! I made stuff, threw myself into bed, went to sleep playing on my phone until it hit me in the face and then woke up to begin again… but he didn’t. No. He did the work of the day, had an evening and then morning came.

Later in Genesis (1:27) we will see that God created us in his own image, which is why following the patterns of living that God puts out for us to emulate us so important. We are like him. We work like him (not as well of course… think glitchy carbon copy). But still! We need evening even more than God does. I might even go as far as to say that God probably didn’t need it at all… he did it just to teach us healthy habits.

So where do we even begin applying this? Should we cancel soccer practice, stop cuddling kittens for the humane society after dinner and say no to everyone who asks you over for desert and card games? No. But we do need to start putting a plan in place to reclaim evening so it can serve as that crucial buffer that prepares you for the next day. God has gifted this idea to us from day one of creation, as the best way to recharge and get ready for what comes next.

Try asking yourself the following questions and don’t hesitate to think beyond these to explore the best ways for you to experience evening:

• How do you prepare for the next workday to dawn?

• In what ways do you protect your energy in the evenings?

• Where do you credit your days successes (or do you simply let them slide by unrecognized unless someone else recognizes them)? BTW, try crediting them to God and let this gratitude spark joy.

• When does evening begin for you?

Let’s talk to God about what we just learned: Dear God. Thank you for evening. Somehow I missed that I was supposed to use this space to ready myself for the next day. As a result I often find myself trapped in a never ended cycle of duty and drudgery. This is not the life you meant me to live. I ask you to transform my mindset so that I can begin again. Help me model good habits of “evening” for my children. And let me glorify you in the way I choose to order my time in your image. Because I am like you and I want to be more so each day. I love you. Amen.