Home > Love & Grow > Rachel Ahrens: Slow Mornings, Steady Heart

“Spiritual disciplines” are things we do to stay in love with God and grow in faith.  They can be things we do alone or together; they can be ways to spend time with God or to serve others.  As the people of Sylva First UMC share one of their spiritual disciplines with you each week, we hope it will inspire you to new ways of loving God and growing in faith.

My name is Rachel Ahrens, I am a first-year grad student at Western Carolina University, as well as the receptionist here at Sylva FUMC. 

For me, a spiritual discipline that has come to be an instrumental part of my faith journey has been my quiet mornings. I usually start my day 1 to 2 hours before I need to leave to be anywhere. In that time, I usually make my bed, get ready for work, unload the dishwasher and make my coffee while waiting for my puppy to finish her breakfast. I take her out and then spend some time resting in the Lord’s presence through prayer and study. I have been doing this for a couple of years now. While what my life looks like, location, and specifics may change, my core morning routine has not. For me the slow mornings produce steadiness within my spirit. I am very capable of waking up 15 minutes before I need to leave and making it there on time. When I do I notice that my day is frazzledI become high strung and antsy. As a morning person and introvert, it is nice to get up and be productive before the day really kicks into high gear. 

The time I spend in starting my mornings slow provides me with the space to prepare for my day, it gives me space to journal through the things that are weighing heavy on my heart. It allows me to be reflective and reflexive in a refining process that helps me to step into the most authentic version of myself.