I Don't Sleep Naked...Anymore

Two words describe how I am in the AM--Morning person. If you mix Mary Poppins with Mr. Rogers, that's what I feel like in the morning. My wife loathes this. Nothing like a morning person sharing the bathroom with a, well,...not-so-morning-person. After waking up with her for six years, this is starting to get easier for both of us. I do not sing so loudly and she doesn't growl as much.

Pretty much everyone who I look up to is a morning person. Jesus was a morning person. You never would catch him sleeping in late. You might catch him sleeping on the job (but that was only referenced to once and you have to give him credit because when he woke up he stopped a storm), but never in late.If you can stop storms, you can sleep whenever you want.

I have always been a morning person, but not to the extent of a 5 AM guy. This changed last year when I was in a mentoring network with Clayton King. Now I wake up at 5 AM so that I can have my quiet time uninterrupted (otherwise two princesses are distracting me). This also provides me with time to read, watch a sermon, blog, write, run, or do whatever else needs to be done that can't be with Cinderalla and Rapunzel dancing around my feet. Now my alarm goes off at 5:00 every morning no matter what. Even if I'm up until 1:00 in the morning, my alarm still goes off and I try and keep up that routine.

I want to let you in on a little secret though.

I hate waking up! Five AM always comes awfully early.

No one likes to wake up. I can't prove it, but Jesus probably hated it too.

Once I am up, I'm up, but the battle of getting out of bed is won or lost within 10 seconds of my alarm clock going off.

So how do you combat it?

I'm going to let you in on an intimate detail. I don't sleep naked (I did for a while in college when I had the apartment to myself...just felt like the right thing to celebrate my independence)...just saying. Me not sleeping naked is probably one of my wife's things she most thankful for this Thanksgiving. Because men, despite popular belief, your wife really doesn't dream of having your naked butt touching her clean sheets. I used to sleep shirtless in a pair of boxers. But not anymore. Now I sleep with pajama pants, socks, and a long sleeve shirt. I sleep Amish style. I hate it and it's extremely uncomfortable.

Why do I do it then?

Because I've learned a secret. It is impossible for me to get out of bed if I am cold. I will hit the snooze button five times. On a side note: Whoever thought up the idea of a "snooze" button? Seriously, like you don't set the alarm for when you should get up. If you have to set your alarm earlier just so you can hit the snooze, aren't you thinking harder than you have to? The inventor had to be one lazy dude and I bet he wasn't an early riser.

Back to my point: Going to bed in warm pajamas helps ensure that I wake up so I can have a quiet time. I've learned that if I want to spend intimate time alone with Jesus with no distractions, margin has to be created and the one time that is always available is first thing in the morning. The morning is the best time for me. It's probably the best time for you as well since the morning has less distractions, your mind is fresh, and you aren't worn out from a day of stress. If you work night shifts, then whenever you first wake up.

Here are some other things I do to make sure I get out of bed:

1. Put my alarm clock on the other side of the room. Having to get up to turn it off or having your wife fuss at you will get you out of bed.
2. Have my coffee set and ready to go. If you know coffee is brewing then you'll get up. No one wants to drink old coffee.
3. My area where I read is straight and prepared. I have a sacred area where I pray and read the Bible. If I know it's ready, it makes it easier for me to get up. 
4. I have a dog that has to be let out. Knowing that the dog will do it's "business" in the garage if I don't get her out is a motivational tool.
5. I set my Native American Alarm Clock the night before. Native Americans would drink large amounts of water to make sure they woke up early. It's organic. All you need is to drink plenty of liquid before you go to bed. Trust me you'll wake up (hopefully dry, although I know the day is coming).
6. I use the power of positive thinking. If I get up to turn off the alarm or to lose a few ounces of liquid, I tell myself Jesus is waiting. No one wants to keep Jesus waiting. You'd be a jerk.

These are just a few ideas on how I protect my time with Christ and make sure that I get up in the mornings.

Anyone want to join the early riser club with me?