Early Morning Wake Up Call {Day 25}
By Melissa Ringstaff
Hi Ladies! Wow, I’m really looking forward to the Sabbath. This week has been a doozy. One thing after another. Not bad, just very, very busy.
How was your week?
I hope you are blessed this weekend and have a chance to spend some special moments with your families! Jesus Lives!
– Melissa
P.S. If you have been blessed by this series, From Chaos to Calm: 15 Weeks to a Happy Home, and are able, would you consider making a donation? I don’t want you to feel obligated in any way, A Virtuous Woman is a ministry for YOU. But, if you feel led, I would be so grateful! You’ll help keep the lights on {the website running}!
From Chaos to Calm: Day Twenty-Five
Early Morning Wake Up Call
Scripture Memory: “She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.” Proverbs 31: 15
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At the beginning of this challenge, I encouraged you to rise early in the morning and have your daily prayer and devotion. I hope that you have learned to be fairly consistent in this.
Today, I want to talk about the importance of the early morning routine and how, if you are not used to it, it can change your life! The Bible talks a lot about laziness. “Lazy hands make a [woman] poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.” Proverbs 10:4. (NIV) We talked briefly about self-discipline and I want to touch on it again today.
Having a lack of self-discipline is a form of laziness. The verse above tells us that a person who is lazy will be poor, but a person who is willing to be diligent will be wealthy. I can think of so many ways a person can be “poor.” You can be poor in spirit. You can be poor in relationships. You can be poor financially. You can be poor or “lacking” in just about anything.
I have heard so many women over the years tell me, “I am not a morning person.” Or, “I don’t get up early.” Or, “I just can’t wake up!”
If you are a woman with a husband and/ or family and you do not rise before everyone else, you are being self-centered and lack self-discipline in this area of your life. You will never be “rich” in your marriage if your husband must fix his own breakfast and get himself out the door in the morning. If your children must come in the morning and ask you to get up, you are robbing them of something special – a mother who cares enough to greet them in the morning with a sweet smile, a warm hug, a cheerful, “Good Morning,” and a good breakfast. Mothers who do not get up in the morning are also teaching their children to be self-centered, and be lazy when they are grown.
By not waking before the family, centering your heart on Christ first, and seeing that the needs of your family are met before your own, you have shown them you are more important than them. This is not Christ like! Jesus came to serve others – not to be served. We are to follow in His example.
Perhaps you are thinking, “But, I am so tired and grouchy if I get up early!” I would say to you, “Whose problem is that? Yours. You need to force yourself to change.” Change is possible. Before I had children, I was most definitely a “night person.” I loved to read books late into the night and sleep in late. It took me a number of years before I learned to simply wake up in the morning. I had to change my patterns. I had to go to bed early enough that I could get up early. I had to learn a new way. I had to learn that some things aren’t easy, but those things become easier when you do them every day. Now, I usually wake up before the alarm goes off in the morning and I even wake up at the same time on weekends.
Successful people rarely ever sleep in late. They get up early and go about their day. I am not just talking about people who have careers and earn a lot of money. People who have neat homes, nice yards, must work hard to meet those goals. I am sure you have heard the saying, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man wealthy and wise.” It is true!
Re-read the memory verse above. We are told that the Proverbs 31 woman rises early before the day breaks to prepare food for her family. God gave us this verse for a reason – it is important!
If you have not already made it a habit to prepare food for your husband before he leaves for work and make him a lunch, think about how surprised he’ll be when he wakes up to delicious smells and a well thought out lunch. You can even tuck a note in his lunch sack telling him how much you love him or that you will be praying for his day.
Men are fairly easy to please. They want to be loved and cared for by their wives. If he leaves home in good spirits; feeling like he is the luckiest man in the world with a beautiful, content, thoughtful wife at home; how likely is it that he will fall prey to temptation? He is more likely to walk away from temptation if he feels loved at home!
Continue to practice this daily. It will get easier! Ask God for the will to wake up if you really struggle. All things are possible through Christ!
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How has rising early helped you?
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P.S. Don’t forget our {5th Annual} Spring Cleaning Challenge starts bright and early Monday morning, April 1, 2013! I hope you will join me!
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