Rise and Shine!

Alright, this is going to be a hard one to talk about...
Getting up early in the morning is a valuable thing. (But why is it so hard!) I am right there with the person that just wants to go back to sleep or that thinks they are going to sleep for just another 10 minutes, but wakes up 45 minutes later and has to rush in the shower or doesn't get a shower at all. I love my bed! And I love to sleep. It is a great comfort. When I was in high school probably like most high schoolers my Saturday mornings meant I got to sleep until 12 or 1 in the morning... i mean afternoon. That's a lot of sleep! I wanted to share what the Bible says about rising early and importance of it.

"And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed." Mark 1:35
Jesus got up early. So many times in the Gospels it talks about him getting up early to teach the crowds and here to meet with the Lord. He knew and made an example of getting up while it was still calm and the craziness of the day hadn't set in. This is the time it seemed that He knew He could just be with His Father.

"O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch." Psalm 5:3
David and the other psalmist made it a priority as well to get up early and be with the Lord. They started their day with prayer and pouring their heart out to the Lord. The Psalms are full of request being made early in the morning. Ex. "But I, O LORD, cry to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you." Psalm 88:13

"She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens." Proverbs 31:15
I am so encouraged by the example of the Proverbs 31 woman. I want to be more like her. I can picture her getting up lighting her candles getting things ready for her household. Preparing their food, getting herself ready for a full day of work.

These are just a few examples of the importance of rising early. Personally, while it is hard and the moment I hear that alarm go off I dread putting my feet on the cold hardwood once I am up and going I am so thankful that I did it. I see 2 reasons why it is important. 1. it makes sure that you have time with the Lord and 2. it helps to get your day going without interruptions.

My rising time changes with different season of my life. Right now my alarm is set for 5:50. I take my shower, I spend time with the Lord, I finish getting ready, I eat my breakfast, check my email, and then start on house chores and having the kid's breakfast ready. When this happens it is a smooth morning even if Eden and Owen both wake up in terrible moods, which does happen. I can then take the time i need to console and help them instead of rushing around to get the morning started and grumpy because I know that I didn't get a shower and probably won't get one for the rest of the day!

I am not perfect at this. By no means. I already said how much I love to sleep, but I know I have to get up. There are mornings when it just doesn't happen. But there is grace for that and thankfully I serve a gracious God who helps me through the day and provides me with strength for those crazy mornings.

Quick disclaimer: I do believe that if you are sick or just had a hard time sleeping or a late night then the extra sleep is needed. We need our bodies to be well rested. That is also why you have to get in the bed at a good hour. On a typical night my bedtime is 10:00pm at the latest. Also, when you have a baby your sleep schedule is most of the time their sleep schedule. So rising early is not always possible maybe getting up 20 minutes before your baby typically gets up is a better goal.

Basically, you make it fit with your schedule for work, when your children rise, but the valuable thing is getting up to spend time with the Lord and to get your morning going. Trust me I understand the difficulty, but it is so worth it!