Every morning when my alarm rings, I see it. My phone flashes 4 words and an emoji along with sweet music to wake me up. I intentionally read my screen although it’s said the same thing for years. These 4 little words and emoji set my perspective and prepare my heart every single morning. It’s a game changer.

I realize I’ve been using that phrase a lot lately. Game changer. You see, some of us need to change our game. We’ve been losing. I don’t know, maybe this year will go down as a loss for you. You didn’t get better. You didn’t grow. You aren’t coming out of this closer to being the person you were created to become.

Now let me stop right there and give you some truth … YOU COULD HAVE. Oh, you could have gotten better this year. You could have grown. You had every opportunity in the world to remove the layers of access and live according to purpose. You could have. And if you didn’t that’s on you.

But God is giving you another chance here. What will you do with it? Don’t wallow in the same excuses that have caused you to lose in the past. Get yourself a game changer.

Do you want to start winning? Then sister change your game.

My alarm is a game changer. From the moment my eyes open my perspective is set and my heart is prepared, because here’s what I see every morning when my alarm rings: On my screen it says “Your gift is here” with the wrapped present emoji.

Yip, game changer.

Wouldn’t it change your game if every single morning you woke up KNOWING that specific day is a gift just for you?

I’ve got to be honest, I suck at surprises. If you give me a gift in a gift bag and I’m supposed to wait to open it … well let’s just say I’ll likely be pretending to be so surprised later, because odds are I already peeked. I just can’t help myself. I want to know what’s in that bag!

As a little girl growing up, we didn’t have gift bags. Every present was put in a cereal or cracker box, then wrapped. Peeking was much harder back then, but possible. One Christmas mom and dad left me home for a few hours, and while they were away, I successfully and painstakingly unwrapped every gift under the tree, took a little peek, then sealed the tape back up. I even unwrapped their gifts because I couldn’t stand not knowing what was in their boxes too.

So, how in the world could I … the sleepy girl who only got about 5 hours of sleep last night possibly resist ripping into a gift when it’s presented to me? Of course I get up. Of course I’m excited.

Why? Because my gift is here!!!!!

Psalm 118:24 “This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

A handmade gift from the Almighty is here specifically for you. The gift is today, that’s why it’s called the present.

Many families have started the 4 gift rule for Christmas. Each child receives 4 gifts: Something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read. Our God gives gifts like that too.

Oh we love receiving the days where the gift is something we want. I’ll happily pop out of bed for the first day of vacation. And God loves to give us those days where it’s the gift of what we want. But some days you wake up to a Tuesday and it’s the gift of what you need. It’s the gift of time to get the work you need to do done. It’s the gift of opportunities to show up and be faithful. It’s the gifted chance to grow and get better. Don’t miss it’s still a gift.

Don’t you want to know what God has done for you today? Don’t you want to know what he has positioned you for? Don’t you want to see what he has aligned just for you, his beloved girl?

THEN WAKE UP FOR IT.

Receive the gift of today with gratitude that puts those feet on the ground and joy in your heart. What will the gift of today hold for you? Only you can find out, get to unwrapping it!

Since we just went through the gift giving season, it’s probably fresh in your memory the fear you feel of forgetting a gift for someone. Because if someone gives you a gift and you have nothing to give them in return … ahhhh, that just feels slimy doesn’t it? What a slimeball to receive a gift, but not give a gift in return.

Don’t be a slimeball.

God has given you a gift, now be prepared to give a gift to him.

What do you give someone who literally has everything? And if he doesn’t already have it, it’s only because he hasn’t imagined it. Should he imagine something new he can create it in one word. God is kinda hard to buy for. But he is not hard to please. All he asks for is to see you using your gift.

Life is God’s gift to you … what you do with it is your gift to Him.

Romans 12: 1 MSG “Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going to work, and walking around life – and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the very best thing you can do for him.”

At the end of this day, what will you have to give back to God? How you received and use the gift of today is your return gift to him. Don’t you want to give him something good? THEN LIVE GOOD.

How different would your days be if you remembered the gift each one really is? How much better would your perspective and attitude be if you saw each day for what it really is? A gift. Sometimes a gift of what you want, but often a gift of what you need or a gift to help you learn.

I want to leave no gifts unwrapped. Heck, I want to unwrap all the gifts, peak in all the bags, see all the things! Therefore, I’ve decided I will leave no days unlived. I will waste nothing and I will always have a gift to give in return … a day well lived.

So, it’s time for a game changer my friend. If you’re waking up angry the sun is already coming up and your night of slumber has come to an end, you’ve forgotten about the gift.

On your cell phone, you have an alarm set. The default of your alarm simply says “alarm”. So, that’s what flashes on your screen. Alarm. Girl, stop waking up to alarm. That could be why you’re on edge. That could be why you’re snippy … you’re alarmed.

Instead, be gifted. On your alarm, edit the label. Name it according to what it really is. It’s a gift. The gift of a new day wrapped in the rising sun.

And well, your gift is here.

Rip into it sister. And remember, what you do with it is your return gift to the giver of this day. Make it good.