Good Morning
He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. Isaiah 50: 4 (NIV)
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Mark 1:35 (NIV)
I am not a morning person. I’ve had difficulty waking up in the morning my entire life. A repetitive snooze button pusher, I’ll use any excuse to sleep 5 more minutes and avoid starting my day and the endless “to do” list waiting. In college, I had a Big Ben alarm clock, the one with the bells on top that rang so loud it woke everyone in my freshmen residence hall but me.
Sadly my morning disposition hasn’t changed much since college. I realized recently this had to change, as I was passing down my morning personality to my daughter. She is not a morning person either. When I wake her in the mornings, she whines and covers her head with the blanket and complains about getting up. That is, unless her Daddy wakes her up. When his face is the first one she greets, her personality is much more pleasant. It could be because he rubs her back, calls her his princess and tells her stories. She loves to hear the adventures he shares. After time with him, she is a completely different child. When he finally breaks away to go to work, she often pleads, “Just five more minutes Daddy!”
I was pondering the difference in her attitude when her father wakes her up, and it occurred to me that I’m different on the days I allow my Father to wake me up too. My Abba Father whispers “It is I that wakes you up each morning. I long for you to wake up wanting me, calling out to me first, so you can have a good start to your day.” He awakens me with the gift of each new morning. He longs to call me His princess, and teach me stories and truth through His Holy Word, changing my disposition and making me a different child.
I have stopped hitting the snooze button and started getting up early each morning to spend time with Him and in His Word. When I do, the day goes much more smoothly. There are still days I slip into old habits and pull the covers over my head, but more days than not, instead of saying “just five more minutes sleep please” I’m saying “just five more minutes with you Daddy.”
