Rising Early

"She rises while it is still dark...her lamp does not go out at night." Proverbs 31

I've sometimes joked that I could much more easily accomplish all that the woman described in Proverbs 31 accomplishes if I had a few servant girls like she does.

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." James 1:5

Why rise early? For years I've balked at the idea. Never mind that my own mother of seven was always awake, showered, and making breakfast before we woke up; part of the privilege of being a stay at home mom is not having to wake up to an alarm every morning! My older son is an early riser, anyway...I just dragged myself out of bed when he came into my room to get me (if I didn't, he would fuss and whine and cry until I did...no snuggling in bed for an extra half hour for him!) But trying to get things done with two needy boys at my feet is WAY harder than when they're sleeping, so my morning routine of breakfast, then time in scripture (in no way peaceful or uninterupted) then a half hour of excercise ended up taking all morning, and I'd often find myself showering at 11:00 or later. Which brings problems of its own. Like people stopping by during the morning and finding me still in my pajamas, not yet showered.

I made a change a month or two ago to begin getting myself up at 6 AM to work out and shower before 7 AM, when I would start breakfast. My older son usually wakes up shortly after I do, and now he's in the routine of "reading" library books on the couch while I work out and shower. My younger son generally doesn't wake up until 7 AM.

Now, inspired by the success of that change, and by the habits of successful mothers I know, I'm getting up an hour earlier than that to begin my day doing things I value more than physical excercise... learning from and talking with my Maker, planning my day, and then blogging.