What does your daily routine look like? Since we’re creatures of habit, you probably do the same things every morning, in the same order, without really thinking about it. You’ll get out of bed, perform some form of cleaning routine that takes 2 minutes for some of us and 45 for others, put clothes on (hopefully).

Whether you skip breakfast or indulge in it, whether you’re a morning devotions person or an evening devotions person, whether you need 5 shots of espresso or a green tea, we all have our little quirks and variations of our days.

Discovering the routines of famous people can be really fascinating. For example, Winston Churchill, the famous PM, spent a lot of time in bed….

7:30 AM: Wake up, stay in bed until 11:00 AM eating breakfast, reading several newspapers, dictating to secretaries.

11:00 AM: Bathe, walk outside, settle into work with whiskey and soda.

1:00PM – 3:00PM: Lunch and then work and card playing/backgammon with his wife.

5:00PM: ½ hour nap.

5:30 PM: Another bath, and dinner (the highlight of his day, with socializing, drinking and smoking for hours afterward.)

12:00 AM: An hour of reading before bed.

In total contrast, Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of America, used to get up extremely early:

4:00 AM: Wake, wash, eat breakfast, think about what he wants to accomplish for the day.

8:00AM – 12:00PM: Work.

12:00PM–1:00PM: Lunch while reading or looking over accounts.

5:00PM: Conclude work, finish the day with dinner, cleaning, music and conversation, reflect on the day.

10:00PM: Bed.

In the midst of these routines, we can often drift through the motions; familiarity breeding a lack of reflection or thoughtfulness over the directions of our lives. When we do the same thing, week in, week out (and let’s face it, many of us do), we can find ourselves settling comfortably into the grooves of normality, like bears comfortably settling down for a long winter.

We’re called, however, to a “life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:19). There are fresh mercies, fresh vision and fresh grace, for every day – which means that every day is a chance to break out from the routine and step into the faith adventure that God has for us.