Scripture is full of exhortations to rise early to praise Him and get our duties done. This is not so easy for me. Rich and I are both night owls, and naturally incapable of getting to bed at a decent hour. It takes pregnancy, illness, days of hard labor, major catastrophes for us to go to bed before midnight. We aren't too fond of all those Psalms extoling the virtue of rising early.

We have reasoned it out. 12:30 a.m. is morning. That should count.

The reality is, though, that the earlier I get up, the more work I get done, and the less guilty I feel if I spend part of my day resting or playing. There is that whole Proverbs 31 woman thing, too, about rising before her family (though I have a willing accomplice in this, Rich doesn't exactly push me to get up before him), not to mention the not having servants to whom to assign tasks. I think I could get up earlier if it meant I had a cleaning lady.

For a while before I was pregnant with Jerome, I was getting up at 5:00 a.m, doing many of my daily chores and making breakfast for the family. Things ran much more smoothly, we got a hot breakfast everyday, and most of my work around the house was done before the kids were even up, so it took less time and left time to be with them more, and do detailed cleaning later in the day, as well as allowing me freedom to take a break without worrying that the delicate balance on the housework would be toppled and I'd be behind again. Then morning sickness and pregnancy exhaustion set in. I haven't gone back to it since, though I'm starting to wake a little earlier now.

Yesterday, I read this and was convicted. I think it is time to go back to my 5:00 a.m. habit. As I recall, it helped me get to bed at a more decent hour (still late, but earlier than 2:00 a.m).

Labels: Faith and Morality, Family