Welcome to Day 25 of our series, From Chaos to Calm: 15 Weeks to a Happy Home. Today I’m talking to you about why waking up early is a good idea.
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.
–>>> Be sure to watch my video at the bottom of the post as I talk about a few different issues! <<<–
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.
related: The Disciplined Homemaking eCourse
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!”
Waking before your family and centering your heart on Christ before you start the day can profoundly change your life. It gives you the opportunity to gain the strength of Christ. Because when you are weak He is strong! It gives you the opportunity to have a right spirit and attitude toward your family.
Sleep is important. But sleeping in can be just a way of putting your needs before the needs of your family. Jesus came to serve, not to be served. And it can be (I didn’t say always) be a form of selfishness. There are exceptions and I talk about this in the video below. And I’m not saying this to discourage you. I want you to see how the mornings can be of benefit to you when you feel like you’re in a constant state of chaos.
You may be thinking, “But, I am so tired and grouchy if I get up early!” I’m gonna give you some tough love. You get to decide how you will act and behave. You get to decide what kind of attitude you will have. You get to decide what you think about mornings.
Change is possible.
Before I had children, I was most definitely a night owl. 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 early 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 my alarm goes off in the morning and I even wake up at the same time on weekends.
related: 5 of the Best Devotions for Moms + Free Printable
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’m sure you have heard the saying, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man wealthy and wise.” It is true!
Even stay-at-home moms can and do benefit from waking early and getting the day started with anticipation and productivity. I know I’ve talked about this before, but my mom always woke up early and I don’t remember her ever being cross or snapping at me because she was tired.
She would come in my room and sing a good morning song and we would start our day, every day, with joy.
Because of her faithfulness and gentleness as a mother I did the same thing with my children. The way you start the day will set the tone for the rest of the day. Be a source of gentleness and joy for your family. It’s hard to be that way all the time – especially when we aren’t going to the Source of joy ourselves. We all need Jesus and starting your day in His Word is the best way to fill your own cup so you can fill your family’s cup.
As the saying goes, you can’t give from an empty cup.
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 would be if he woke up to delicious smells and a well-thought-out breakfast or lunch. You could even tuck a note in his lunch sack telling him how much you love him or that you will be praying for his day.
Check out: Meal Prep 101 for Beginners for ideas on how to make preparing food for your family easier.
Most men are fairly easy to please. (See note below.) 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!
Note: Writing on this subject is difficult because there will always be someone who feels attacked. My hope is that you feel convicted where you need to be convicted and that you let the rest go.
How has rising early helped you?
Watch the Video: When Waking Up is Hard
This video is an “extra” video about getting enough sleep. I wanted to clarify a few issues!
Note: Resources for women in difficult marriages:
- Q & A: My Husband is Grumpy in the Mornings
- Q & A: When Your Husband is Critical
- Anger and Emotional Abuse within Christian Marriages
- Emotional Abuse
Action Steps to Take Today
- Pray and ask God to show you what changes you need to make to your morning routine. Do you need to wake up earlier? Do you need to change your attitude in the mornings?
- Believe that God can give you a right spirit if you struggle with your attitude in the mornings.
- Commit to change.
- Download the Morning Mood Tracker here, if desired, and keep a record of your attitude over the next 20 days.
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