Why I Get Up Before Sunrise.

To be honest, I love staying up late watching movies or doing artwork. But we all know our minds work best in the morning, and you don't think straight at night, or you get in your "late night feels". Anyone can become a morning person, it is all about training your body. My first semester in college I would sleep in because I could. I had late classes and followed the stigma that college students slept in late. I was not productive, and if you read my last blog you would know that my heart was not fully right with the Lord. Therefore, I was not productive or using my time wisely. I was not honoring the Lord with my time.

I was convicted after I began my new season of singleness. All of the sudden I had a bunch of free time on my hands without having a boyfriend. I began spending those moments with Jesus. I also started spending time with my mentor and dear friend, Katie. She wakes up early to spend the first part of her day with God. Jesus is so present in Katie's life and I wanted that kind of joy in my life. I started reading blogs about why waking up early is beneficial, and got perspective from all kinds of people. I would just laugh when people would try and make plans with me before noon, and now I normally accomplish more before 10am than I would in an entire day. So how did I get to this point?

A little before 2018 began I was finishing reading through Psalms. In Psalm 119:147 it says:

I rise before dawn and cry out for help;

I put my hope in your word.

I decided to start looking for more verses that had to do with early rising. And the one that really stood out and grabbed my attention was:

Mark 1:35

In the early morning, while it was still dark,

Jesus got up, left the house, and went away

to a secluded place, and was praying there.

Wow. Think about it, Jesus was the only perfect person who walked this earth and he prayed! He woke up before sunrise to cry out to the Lord. So if I am a sinner and imperfect while Jesus is perfect, why do I always think I can handle things on my own? And why am I so selfish with my time? Even Jesus went to our Heavenly Father in prayer. I am going to do another blog post on prayer, but for now lets talk about why I came to the conclusion of waking up early.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't think sleeping in is wrong, I am human and do it every now and then. I do however believe you need to prioritize your mornings to make sure you get alone time with God, whatever time that may be for you. It is crucial to start your day with the one who created you. For me if I get up after sunrise I am already lazy and just want to watch Netflix all day.

Why I chose 5am:

I wake up between 5 and 7 depending on when I go to sleep. Getting physical rest in important so if I am up late studying I will sleep in an extra hour. My first class is at 9:30 so it still gives me plenty of time to be alone with the Lord. I prefer getting up at 5 because I get up to make my bed, pray, get in scripture, and have a big cup of coffee. And by getting up at 5, I generally spend about an hour alone with God before going on my phone. By 6, I have time to then go look through social media if I want to. What you first fill your mind with in the morning can affect your whole entire day. So I choose to fill it with truth rather than social media lies. You also have to have a reason to get up. If you don't you are just going to keep hitting that snooze button.

There are so many benefits to rising early, number one is time with the Lord. It also gives me time to do things I enjoy before classes, work, and the business of life. The morning is when I catch up on calligraphy, do yoga, watch my Netflix shows, and have plenty of time to get ready for the day. It now also gives me time to work on my new blog!

Heart check:

How do you spend your mornings? Are you grumpy and negative? Or are you joyful and uplifting?

A huge perk to getting up before sunrise is actually seeing the sunrise! God is the creator of the universe and it is so cool to see his artwork every morning. The mornings are filled with possibility in the fact you have a brand new day to further God's kingdom!! His mercies are new every morning.

In the morning when I rise, give me Jesus.

I have that in calligraphy above my bed to have that daily reminder.

xo, emijoy