Fact #1: I am NOT by any means whatsoever a morning person. People do not like me in the morning because I am known to be slightly less than enjoyable to be around. Heh.
Fact #2: I need to get up early because (1) my mama is not a fan of me sleeping in, (2) I end up sleeping away half of the day that could be spent wisely, and (3) my accountability buddy depends on her to get up early.
Ahhh, yes. This subject is not one that is near-and-dear to my heart, but one that I can talk about on a personal level. And yes, I know it's summer time and no one wants to get up early when we can lounge around in our cozy beds all day. But then again, truth is not situational...Check out this verse on the subject:
Proverbs 31:15 “She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.”
As women of the faith, we look up to the Proverbs 31 woman, but often, she makes us internally groan..."I have to do that!?" (see Philippians 4:13 for some encouragement). This one definitely made me do "bleh-ing" on the inside. But, this is what God calls of us. There are many examples in the Bible of people getting up early to spend time with God and in prayer and being about His work (see Exodus 24:4, Exodus 34:4, 2 Chronicles 29:20, Mark 1:35). There are so many benefits to getting up early. I've listed just a few that came to mind...
1. You have so much more time in the day. Rising at 6 or 7 A.M. rather than 10 or 11 gives you an average of 4 and a half more hours in the day (assuming you go to bed around 10). And if you're like me, with a to-do list down to the floor, you could really use those four extra hours. Your day has just increased! And time flies too. Why waste any of the precious life that God has given us?
2. You're able to get things done. With more time, you can finally begin to check off those items on your to do list that you've been putting of for "lack of time."
3. You feel more productive. Getting things accomplished feels nice, doesn't it? Once you begin, your stress levels go down and you have more time for the things you actually enjoy doing.
3. You feel more productive. Getting things accomplished feels nice, doesn't it? Once you begin, your stress levels go down and you have more time for the things you actually enjoy doing.
4. You can spend quiet time with God without distraction. If you have lots of siblings, you may know what it's like at my house in the mornings. My younger siblings wake up around 7 or 8 and bound down the stairs, which is oh-so-nice because then they proceed to be their crazy selves outside of my bottom-floor bedroom. Then, my dogs like to bark in my ear every morning promptly at 7:30 AM to let me know they need to go to the bathroom. I love my family and my pets are great, but it does get very loud at my house at times. I don't know about you, but I could really use those few quiet hours in the morning to get alone with God. It's hard to find silence sometimes, but getting up early could definitely change that. I do recommend getting out of bed first, though. I've fallen asleep facedown in my Bible more than a few times. :)
5. You can see the sunrise! Mornings are one of the best parts of the day as far as beauty goes. Birds chirping, fresh cool air, dew on the grass, the sun beginning to peep through trees and bushes. Mornings are wonderful things.
Let's join each other in prayer that we'll use our days wisely and our best to get up early and make our days productive for Jesus!
Ephesians 5:15-16 "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."
This is a great idea, Mary Kate! Thanks for bringing it up on the blog. It's so hard to get out of bed early, but whenever I do I don't regret it.
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