Have you ever sat down to do your devotions in the morning and your mind is just going a million miles an hour?
You find yourself staring at the pages, and then you start to beat yourself up because you feel like you’re just checking a box.

It is so incredible how God aligns things when He is trying to get our hearts to rest.

Recently, my neighbor and I were talking about this very thing. We were just being vulnerable about how some mornings we are so into it, digging deep and really hearing His voice—but other mornings, if we’re honest, we’re just checking that box. Our minds wander, we worry about our to-do lists, or we’re tired and just going through the motions.
I think it’s so easy to carry guilt into those quiet moments when we feel like we aren’t doing it “right.” I know I certainly do.

But today, everything seemed to connect.

In Sunday school, we were studying contentment in Philippians 4, and I noticed an old note I’d written in my Bible margins next to Paul’s words about finding strength in Christ:

“We don’t take our medication on an empty stomach—in the same way, we shouldn’t take on the worries or the concerns of the day on an empty heart.”
(Referencing Philippians 4:6-7)

Then during the sermon, our pastor spoke about how we are all broken, and how God has always used broken, imperfect people all throughout the Scripture to do His work.

It shouldn’t, but it always amazes me how God works everything together. Something we’ve been thinking about is brought up in conversation by someone else, and then it’s in every message in church or pops up on your feed.  That’s God’s way of tapping me on the shoulder saying “Hey, I’m talking to you.”

When these thoughts first pop up, it can feel like they’re totally scattered and all over the place. But then, He gently moves all the noise out of the way. He opens our eyes and our hearts so that, out of all the chaos, we see and hear exactly what He wants us to.

Sitting there, it hit me so clearly. God doesn’t look at our distracted mornings with frustration or condemnation. As Romans 8:1 reminds us, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
He knows our frame; Psalm 103:14 tells us that He knows how we are formed and remembers that we are but dust. Dust – basically, we’re dirt.
He knows we are broken, and He loves us right there.

Suddenly, I looked at those “check-the-box” mornings in a whole new light. Going through the motions on our weak days isn’t a failure—it’s an anchor.

When we feel broken, distracted, or overwhelmed, just showing up keeps us moored to Him instead of drifting off into the worries of the world.

It keeps our hearts from being completely empty. And staying anchored on those heavy days is what keeps us steady until the mornings when we have the strength and the space to dig deeper.

If your heart is like mine today and feels a little distracted or broken, give yourself the same grace He gives us. We don’t have to be perfect to show up; we just have to stay anchored. ⚓️❤️