To Wake, or Not To Wake?

Since starting my job I have struggled against my biggest fear--being so tired with life that my brain stops working on a creative level and merely goes into autopilot. I have always worried I would join the rest of the adult world in their grey plodding through the years.

Well, truth be told, I have done exactly that.

Most mornings I leave my house around 8 am and get home around 7 pm. When not working I am doing my finances, squeezing in practice for my orchestra concerts, cleaning, running errands, etc. I rarely have time or energy to just chill and contemplate life.

One main thing that was getting neglected was my spiritual life. In theory I read my Bible before I left every morning but sometimes I just "didn't have time". Or I didn't feel awake enough think it would be quality time with the Lord.

I talked briefly about this struggle with a coworker at the Crisis Pregnancy Center. She has a very long commute to work as well as a large family and could sympathize with my struggle. She mentioned however something she remembered from an autobiography of a Christian family in the mid-nineteen hundreds: the author stated that his father always required them to get up at 5 am, get a glass of water and read their Bible for an hour. This rule was never flexed, even when they had had a late night before. Sometimes, the author added ruefully, the only thing that was tall that early in the morning was the glass of water. But the discipline of spending time with the Lord lasted a life-time.

Immediately after that conversation opened my Bible and my eye caught Luke 22:46 --  “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

I chuckled to myself and said, Okay Lord. Point taken.

My goal was 30 days straight of getting up at 6 am and unless you don't count the two days my phone turned off in the middle of the night and  I didn't wake up on my own until 6:30  I was very faithful.

And yes, it was absolutely worth it. 

Often times the literal first thing my eyes focused on in the morning was my Bible and that couldn't help but set the tone for each day. After having read God's word and discussed my concerns with Him how could the following 24 hours not have a more eternal outlook? 

I might still feel dull, grey, and boring but underneath that feeling was the assurance that the Lord was in control and adding color to my life as He knew was best. 

(I am done with those 30 days now and allowing myself to sleep in a little when needed but the discipline has created a desire that I did not have before for regular study of God's word and frequent conversations with Him.)