Post By: Gabe Lee
How do you wake up? Are you someone who wakes up bursting with energy? Someone who rolls out of bed laughing? Singing your favorite song? We would consider those who do these things as “morning people,” right? We look at these fools and think to ourselves, "You do you in the morning. Just don't drag me along for the ride, okay? However, I’d like two eggs. Sunny-side up, with bacon on the side."
How do you wake up? Do you wake up feeling miserable? Are you annoyed by the alarm and anything and everything that moves? You snooze your alarm, and think to yourself, “just one more hour.” But all of a sudden, it’s 11:30 AM, your long list of chores and errands smacks you in the face, and breakfast becomes a mythical meal that you find only on 24-hour IHOP menus.
How do you wake up? Do you wake up feeling groggy and unmotivated? Do you get a case of the Monday blues every morning as you go about the same daily routine? For many, it’s typically composed of work, school, gym. Repeat. You tell yourself to get on with your day after downing down three cups of coffee. And eventually, you’re so tired from your routine that you end up living for that one day of rest. That one day out of the entire week, when you can feel free from the weight of responsibility.
Our mornings tell us much about ourselves, our personalities, and our mentalities. They tend one of the most honest moments in our day. It’s the moment when our deepest desires, fears, and joys come to mind; unfiltered and pure. But how much have you thought much about your mornings?
Let me tell you about my mornings. I wake up early, not because my body wants to get up, but because my mind does. I want to be productive. Every second is precious. The first thing I think of when I wake up is my agenda for that day. “What day is it? What is on my to-do list? What reminders did I make for myself the night before? How should I dress for the day? Do I need to pack an extra set of clothes? Okay, why am I still in bed? Time to go.”
My mornings show me that I am a busybody; someone that doesn’t want to stop moving. Constant activity and productivity keeps me going. I don’t even know what I would do if I were to ever take a day off to do absolutely nothing. I always have a plan. I always have an agenda. Then I make backup plans and alternatives. Prioritizing my day is the most important thing for me to do.
My mornings show me my sins. I love control. I want to know what’s going on. I am someone that wants to have a plan, and someone that does not trust in the unknown. Yet God's sovereign plan for me is unknown. That scares me. It eats me up. I make my own plans, yet lack trust in God. It is hard for me to trust my life to God.
I love productivity and fear failure. I want to get things done, and accomplishments make me feel better about myself. But there is nothing I can ever do that can make me right with God. Jesus Christ is the one who did that, and nothing I can do will ever add to that. Do I recognize that, and see my utter need and dependence on Christ?
I do not rest, yet God commands us to rest. He commands us to take a Sabbath, so that we can enjoy Him. He wants us to take our time to worship Him, meditate with Him, and walk with Him. I have a difficult time doing that. I feel like there is so much to do in this small, insignificant world, that I forget what matters most sometimes - my relationship with God.
However, my mornings can also show me my devotion to God. As I mentioned above, my body never actually wants to get up. But I do. I force myself up. I wasn’t always this disciplined. In fact, I made a commitment to be disciplined about my morning schedule, because I believed that being disciplined in my mornings would help my discipline in other areas of my life - eating, working, exercising, but especially in prayer and Scripture reading. I recognized that though every task is different, the discipline to do the right thing comes from the same heart; a heart that is fortified to do what it needs to do, and not always on what it wants to do. Waking up early helps exercise that fortitude.
How should our mornings look like then, as Christians who walk with God? Allow me to pull out a few verses from Psalms -
Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. - Psalm 30:5
But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. - Psalm 59:16
You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning:
in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades and withers. - Psalm 90:5-6
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. - Psalm 90:14
In these Psalms, the authors view mornings as a time of renewed strength. A fresh start. The pains of yesterday are not as sharp anymore. The world has not ended. The zombie apocalypse is still a ways off. The pressure of life seems a tad bit lighter. And God still rules sovereignly. This is what these Psalmists think of. The mornings remind them of God’s strength, God’s grace, and God’s love. This eases their burdens, and winds their hearts towards worship.
So then, how do you wake up? What do your mornings tell you about yourself? And most importantly, how are you going to apply that knowledge to benefit your relationship with God? Nothing matters more than your commitment to God and your pursuit of holiness. It does not matter if you are an early riser or a sleeping beauty. But even these little things can speak loudly about your faith and walk with God.
Gabe is a follower of Christ, who believes in the authority of Scripture and the importance of biblical counseling. He currently works full-time as a software consultant and joyfully serves in various capacities at his local church.