I love them that love me;
and those that seek me early shall find me.
Proverbs 8:17
It is with a happy heart that my feet touch the floor in the morning.
I have come to absolutely love my early mornings, watching the sun rise, quiet and peaceful. It is my private time to sit and read my Bible, drink my first cup of lovely coffee and enjoy an hour with the Lord.
I was convicted to rise up early last year when I realized that there really was no other quiet time during the day to do devotions or spend quality time reading the Bible. There are so many verses in the Bible that tell us Jesus, Himself, rose early. Is there a better example to follow that our Lord’s?
One of my favorite woman in history is Susannah Wesley. She also taught her children to rise up early and spend time in the Scriptures. Her son, John Wesley, was devoted to rising early as an adult. He would wake up at 4 a.m. and study his Bible. What a mother to have taught her children – and by her own example!
My own mother is a good example of a devout early rising – I believe she rises at 3:30 am.! She is amazing. I will settle for 4:30 a.m., or 5 a.m. if it has been a late night with a baby. 🙂
Getting up early before the family has proven to be one of the best habits I have formed. For indeed, it is a habit, a training one must work to gain. It does not always come naturally to everyone, but with training, it can be attained. {It helps to have a cat that needs to be let outside every morning around 4 a.m. and a baby that needs nursing around that time, as well!}
Naturally, I have always been a night owl, but with the birth of each child and the busier my days became, my cozy bed called my name earlier and earlier. Now instead of going to bed at midnight, my husband and I try to get to bed by 9:30 – 10 p.m. at the latest. I rise around 4:30 a.m.- 5 a..m. although my best approach is to rise at 4:30. A.m.
This leaves a practical amount of time to do some morning routines and still allow time for Bible reading, prayer and daily prep work for homeschool.
Some of my friends, who know I like to wake up early, have asked how I can manage without waking up the household. When I rise, I slip quietly downstairs without my slippers on. Slippers definitely seem noisier when the entire household is asleep! I choose to get ready downstairs, using the extra bathroom to freshen up for the day. If I was to get ready upstairs, no doubt I would wake someone up. Once I am dressed and ready, I light a fire in the kitchen woodstove to warm up the kitchen and check the back woodstove to see if it needs new wood. (In the cooler months, we try to keep it running throughout the night as it heats the girls’ side of the house.) Still tiptoeing about, but now in slippers, I return to the kitchen to boil my water for coffee. We use a large Bodem style coffee pot which works wonderful with the cookstove.
Hot, steaming coffee tastes so lovely in the morning. Now it is time for my Bible study! Grabbing my Bible, pen, planner (which I loosely use) and my big cup of hot coffee (cream and half a sugar, please), I return to the cozy back room, which is now toasty warm from a nice roaring fire.
There is a lovely rocking in this room, just cozy enough to nurse your baby in or curl up with a book – and that is where the morning devotions take place. It is opposite of the fire and the warmest spot in our house in the early mornings.
I am reading through the Bible using a schedule from Alistair Begg’s Truth for Life ministry. Every day, I am emailed a list of four chapters which are scheduled to be read. It is easy to follow and I love it … I use my beautiful King James Bible. It is my favorite.
When the Bible reading is over, I will copy a few verses that speak to me into my planner. This is also my time to pray and be quiet.
It is always a blessing to read an Above Rubies devotional, as well.
At this point, it is nearly time for the family to awake. If I have time, I will print some work off for the girls’ school, or I will order some books online and so forth. This is also the time that breakfast is started and dinner is prepped. My daily goal is to have dinner prepped and ready by breakfast or at the very latest, lunch time. It takes the stress away from wondering what is for dinner all day long … and it leaves my afternoons more relaxed.
{My Bible cover was made by Frannie – I just love it!}
If I am awarded enough time, this is also the perfect time to prep something for baking – either cookies or muffins or a few loaves of bread. By breakfast time, the cookstove is generally warm enough to begin baking. If I can mix everything ahead before the little ones wake up, it is much easier. While doing some kitchen work, I am able to listen to an Elisabeth Elliot morning broadcast. The broadcast is only 15 minutes – I wish it were longer some mornings, but it’s perfect to get your morning going.
And this, ladies, is the BEST way to start my morning! I feel very passionate about waking up early – even if it just an hour before the rest of your family or your husband wakes up. It is such a blessing – such a rejuvinating way – to begin your day — at the feet of Jesus! He knows how much sleep you need – if you have little ones or teenagers that stay up late … and He will give you the rest you need. Waking up and starting your day before your household, quiet and alone with your Bible, will be such a blessing to you – I promise. You will be refreshed and ready for your tasks at hand, your challenges and you will find spiritual and physical rest in your Heavenly Father.
Cause me to hear thy loving kindness in the morning;
for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk;
for I lift up my soul unto thee.
Psalm 148:3
Sometimes I listen to my favorite music and read a book or sometimes I listen to a sermon. Other times, I simply enjoy the quiet. I can either sit in my favorite room – as I call it, the parlour – and have some quiet time or I will sit on the front porch in the spring and summer months … it is peaceful and quiet and it gives the baby a chance to rest away from all the noise of the busy family. The girls are encouraged to do something alone – draw, write, colour, listen to audio stories, play outside, swing on the hammock, take a nap … but we all retreat for a little while. It is restful for the soul and for the body.
by Gigi
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