“Wake up for your life and not to your life.”- Kat Lee (Titus 2 Minute Podcast)

I was listening to a podcast this morning and I heard this sentence and resonated with it so much.  I have always talked a lot about how important it is to wake up with Jesus.  But more recently I’ve recognized the importance of waking up before everyone else in my house to do so.  I’m really hoping this post will inspire you to do the same.

The night I decided to start waking up before everyone was about a year ago.  I had a 6 month old who wasn’t sleeping through the night and I had 5 kids home all day due to the Big “C” hitting our nation. A crazy time to decide to make this decision, no doubt. For years I had reasoned that waking up before everyone else was too much. And that I needed my rest to be a good mom and wife.  But that night as I sat on my friends couch, my heart changed. We were chit chatting with chips and salsa and blankets over our legs and she was telling me how tired she was from work, kids and life. I nodded along in total agreement. But then she told me God whispered to her “you don’t even know what tired is.” Poof! In that moment, all I could think about was Jesus carrying the cross.  I discreetly pulled out my phone and set my alarm for 5:45 AM. She had no idea the impact that conversation had on me. Since that night, I have woken up “for my life and not to me life” like Kat Lee said. I originally thought I needed rest to be the best I could be.  And I do need rest. But even if it’s 5 minutes before my first baby wakes up, what I actually need most is Jesus before everyone else.

How I’ve been able to do this and some tips to help you do it too:

1. Be Committed- Do it no matter what. Even if you wake up late or the baby wakes up earlier then normal and you only get 2 minutes with Jesus, it’s worth it. I love how Kat Lee said on the podcast: in a basketball game, the team only gets a 30 second time out/reset and we see how often it can change the whole game for the team. Well, the same goes for our lives when we take that time out with Jesus.
2. Phone away until you pray– This is the golden rule for me.  Starting the day with a stressful email, text or social media post is the worst way to wake up.  Starting the day with a cup of coffee and in prayer just sets the tone. And funny enough, it can often lead to a better response to those ugly things we will read or need to respond to.  We are better for it and so are our relationships. Not to mention, it can easily suck you in and suddenly you have no time with Jesus.
3. Simple is sufficient– Our time with Jesus isn’t about what we accomplish, it’s about building our relationship with Him. It doesn’t have to be a 30 minute Bible study.  Sometimes we push off our time with Jesus because we believe we won’t have enough time and then we never end up doing anything. But you would never tell your husband or kids before they leave in the morning that you “can’t give them a hug and an I love you” because you don’t have time to watch a whole movie with them.  So we shouldn’t do that to the Lord either. Acknowledge Him first thing. Walk with Him throughout the day and then when you get time to dig in, do it then. He sees the season you are in. He will meet you where you are.

I hope this story and these tips change your whole day!

Lord, we can’t do life without You. Help us to walk step by step with You and acknowledge you always.  You are our priority so please help us to keep You First.  We love you.  Amen.