My body clock had always been waking me up at ten o’clock in the morning. It was the most comfortable time for me to rise. Unfortunately, it was not always my most productive self that loomed across the living room and the kitchen. It was not also the most eager woman who was willing to write. Often, I was racing against the demands of the day–from my children’s needs and my own personal needs to my never-ending to-do list, which consequently made me feel tired, uninspired, and less productive.
Something has to change. My waking hour.
JESUS WOKE UP EARLY
Jesus knew the importance of waking up early. Mark 1:35 says, “In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.”
In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. (Mk. 1:35)
Jesus awoke not when the sun was already visible on the horizon, but “while it was still dark.” He did not wake up to rush to work immediately. He knew He needed motivation for there is a Source of strength from whom He was drawing all the much-needed drive for His ministry. Even if He knew that He was God, He also knew the importance of quiet time for Someone like Him who was living in flesh. Even as God, He knew that this quiet time ought to be part of His daily habit, for, through His life, He wanted to show us how we should take it into our habit, too.
He started His day by going to a secluded place to pray, to communicate with our Heavenly Father, to condition His mind and heart for He was only provided three years to accomplish His ministry. His duties were not something to scoff about, for it meant His life. And it meant my life and your life…
His duties were not something to scoff about, for it meant His life. And it meant my life and your life…
It runs parallel that when we live out our lives for God as a mother, as a wife, as a manager of the household, as a businesswoman, or career woman, there is One perfect model whom we ought to follow… Our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Our duties may not be as burdensome as His, for no one will ever compare to everything He had gone through. So, what’s the point of waking up before the break of dawn?
WAKING UP EARLY
As my body adjusts to the new time, my waking hours fluctuate between 3:45 AM and 7 AM. When this happens to you while starting out, fret not. Our body is only adjusting as it gets accustomed to the new body clock.
APPRECIATE THE BEAUTY OF QUIET TIME
When the house is quiet and everyone is asleep, when you look out of the window to see fewer vehicles running on the street, then it certainly is a “me” time!
Me time can be deprived during the day when smaller kids are already awake. There is not much time for planning, mind conditioning, exercising, reading, reflecting, and devotional.
I remember how my children put it whenever a new arrangement in the house appears, “It feels fresh!” That’s exactly how I feel whenever I wake up earlier than 6 AM.
If most successful people wake up before the break of dawn like Tim Cooke (Apple CEO, rises at 3:45 AM), Indra Nooyi (PepsiCo CEO, rises at 3:45 AM), and Howard Schultz (Starbucks Exec, rises at 4:30 AM) to name a few, why can’t we?
REALITY AND TRUTH
We may all be coursing through different paths in life, so this may not be a one-size-fits-all approach. If you are a parent who works the night shift, then this may not be for you. However, for parents who work during the day, remember how Jesus valued His time by waking up early while it was still dark—not to start His work immediately but to spend His quiet time. Then, He worked.
Becoming an early riser may be challenging especially when you’d been living all your life like a night owl. Certainly, becoming an early bird is not an overnight success.
Nevertheless, if our reason is sensible enough to outweigh the protests of our body, our situation, our environment, and our circumstances, then being a late riser can be overcome by willpower, discipline, and sticktoitiveness. It is not just you who will benefit from becoming an early riser, but your family, too.