30 minutes

For a couple of weeks now I've been waking up early and starting my day in prayer and in the Bible. I've always wanted to and although it has taken me years, I finally decided to set my alarm and drag myself out of bed. I am not a morning person and sleeping is by far my favorite activity these days so it is not the best time for me to do this. However, it is the only time I have to do this.

Since I became pregnant, I have noticed a change in my attitude. I have less patience, more anger and am just all around grumpier than usual. One day, I realized I needed help when Mya and I got into it and she came out of her room where I'd sent her a minute prior to tell me that there was a spider in her bed and she couldn't possibly sit in her bed with a spider. I screamed at her to go deal with it and she screamed something back and started wailing uncontrollably. I realized I was being completely unreasonable and out of control and quickly apologized to my poor 5 year old for my behavior and silently vowed to start my day in prayer the next day.

I also talked to my sister-in-law the day before and she informed me that she normally woke up at 4:30 in the morning in order to have tea with my brother, pack his lunch for work and spend time with the Lord before her 4 kids woke up. She is way busier than I am. She home school's. I figured if she can wake up at 4:30AM, I could most certainly wake up 30 minutes earlier than I normally do. 

I cannot tell you the difference between those days when I wake up at 5:30 and the days when I wake up around 6:00. It is night and day. I am disgustingly chipper when the girls come down. They are greeted with a good morning hug rather than a grumpy remark about not having snacks before breakfast. I feel rested and ready to start the day rather than hurried and flustered. I feel encouraged by the things I've read and supported by the Holy Spirit. I have a can-do attitude rather than an attitude of defeat and exhaustion. 

I still don't get up early every morning because the temptation of sleep is too great sometimes and I surrender to my pillow but then I quickly regret it later when I'm snapping at everyone. It is really hard to get up early every morning. Really hard. And I'm not saying I'm an angel when I've started my day in prayer but if I am going to have any chance at all of having a good day, it's a no-brainer. And I have to say that it is so nice when the house is quiet and the sun is coming up. It's very peaceful.

I've been reading the One Year Bible. It breaks up the bible into sections so every day you read some of the New Testament, Old Testament, Psalms and Proverbs. It's only about 10-15 minutes of reading per day. I think that's totally doable. I find that I keep on reading if no on wakes up. The stories in the Old Testament are fascinating and the New Testament is full of awesome teachings and great reminders as to how Jesus wants us to live our lives. Each day, I learn something new. And this isn't the first time I'm reading the Bible. I use an easy translation too. My cloudy mommy brain needs all the help it can get. I have tons of questions so I keep a notebook where I can write them down and look them up later. I also make a note of my favorite verses. 

I strongly urge you to try it. Maybe just give it 7 days and see if you notice a difference in your day. I've never heard anyone say that they wished they hadn't woken up early and spent time with the Lord, however ;) And if you are not a Christian and you've always been a little curious about the Bible, why not poor yourself a cup of coffee or tea, download an ap and check it out? I promise it will not disappoint.