Our Daily Bread: Jewel Muffins

Many of us struggle to wake up in the morning. There are the perpetual “Snoozers” who repeatedly hit the button on their alarms, the coffee drones who don’t function until their cup of caffeine and those who have even been known to walk into walls.Those early hours don’t agree with all of us.

No matter if you are a morning person or not, however, the first moment when you do wake up usually requires at least some perseverance. Especially in the winter. Who wants to leave the warmth of their bed for the chilly early morning? We find yet another ordinary moment in our daily life that calls for an act of heroism: waking up on time, and with the right disposition.

Perhaps more important that waking up on time is the idea of waking up with the right disposition. Are our first thoughts “5 more minutes” or “I hate mornings?” We can instead help to form the habit of sending our first thoughts to God. A friend was once commenting about how sweet young children are. The last people they see at night are their mother and father and their first words when they wake up are usually “Mommy” or “Daddy.” You can say their last thoughts at night and their first thoughts in the morning are for their parents. How much our Heavenly Father must love this same sentiment coming from us. We are after all, children of God. Do we say goodnight to Him before we get in bed- and do we start our morning thinking of him?

The idea of a morning offering, a simple prayer said at the start of each day that offers all the works of our day to God, has been in place since the early Christians. As soon as they wake up, before facing back into the hurly-burly of life, before making any plans or even thinking about their family duties, the Christians offer their thoughts and everything, to God. (Cassian, Conferences, 21- found in Conversations with God volume 2).

We can do the same, especially as we prepare ourselves for Holy Week, to turn our first thoughts each day in a simple prayer: Good morning, dear Jesus, this day is for you. Then we can put on the pot of coffee!

Here is a delicious morning muffin recipe taken from A Continual Feast. Jewel Muffins (found on page 53) are made from the cinnamon-nutmeg muffin recipe. You fill the baking cup ½ full then add a teaspoon of jam before topping them off with a remaining spoonful of batter. These treats take no more than 30 minutes to prepare from start to finish and so make a wonderful morning breakfast…and for those of us who need all the help we can get in the mornings: they can be prepared the night before!