The alarm goes off. Roll out of bed, get through your morning routine as quickly as possible so you can move on to the tasks of the day or rush off to work. Every moment of your day seems to demand your attention until you climb back into bed in the evening exhausted. It doesn’t take long before even tasks and work you love becomes oppressive.
Let’s try that differently. Imagine that the first thing you do as you wake in the morning before you even get out of bed is to recite a blessing:
מוֹדֶה אֲנִי לְפָנֶֽיךָ מֶֽלֶךְ חַי וְקַיָּים. שֶׁהֶֽחֱזַֽרְתָּ בִּי נִשְׁמָתִי ,בְּחֶמְלָה. רַבָּה אֱמֽוּנָתֶֽךָ
I give thanks before you, King living and eternal, for You have returned within me my soul with compassion; abundant is Your faithfulness!
This blessing points to two important thoughts:
- My life itself is the result of compassionate action.
- Human beings are worthy.
This blessing calls our attention to the compassion that surrounds us and to our meaning and value in the world. It isn’t about blessing God — it is about us, reminding us that we are cared for and valued. What better way to enter a day than with a reminder of the meaningfulness of what we do in it?