Waking Up Early with a Plan of Attack
Here's what helps me get things moving in my times with God when I do wake up earlier: having a concrete plan.
In the previous blog post (see here), I wrote about waking up earlier so that a person can have extra dedicated time to spend with the Lord in prayer and meditation before the day begins and before everyone else gets up. It's a good idea if you're looking for more time in your day to devote to spiritual exercises that will help you grow in your walk with Christ.
However, if you're like me, you might find it difficult to wake up early. I just love sleeping in. But do you know what is just as hard as waking up? Staying awake. It's just as hard to stay awake when you do finally get out of bed and attempt to engage in your devotions. It's just so tempting to fall back to sleep while praying. If you fall asleep while praying, give yourself some grace. Perhaps your body needs it. It has happened to me countless times in the past. But here's what helps me get things moving in my times with God when I do wake up earlier: having a concrete plan.
To give myself the best chance of making the most of waking up early, I have some sort of a plan in terms of what I'm actually going to do. If I don't come with a plan, I could end up not knowing what to do with the time and I might simply end up sleeping through what could have been a profitable morning with the Lord.
Here's my personal plan. When I wake up early to spend time with the Lord, I have a few options to choose from. I like having options because I get to select something based on how I'm feeling that morning. Some of you may choose to do just one thing consistently for every single morning. That's totally fine. We're all created differently and we should use whatever strategies will work for each of us individually.
These are my options when I wake up to spend time with the Lord:
Meditate on God's presence – I might choose to just sit there and think about the Lord and His glory. I won't necessarily say much.
Review my journal – I might take some time to look over past entries in my journal. This helps me remember and reflect on the different things God has said to me in the past (I'm really forgetful!). It also reminds me of things that I need to do or work on in myself (i.e. character, attitude, etc.).
Pray using Common Prayer (find it at www.commonprayer.net) - This is my favorite way of starting the day because it gives me something to do right away. And that helps me stay awake. I simply have to go through the material of the book assigned for the day. I just have to remember to be intentional and present when I engage in this structured form of prayer.
Reflect on life – I might choose to take some time to reflect on my life in order for me to be thankful to God for His blessings and to consider ways to live for Jesus better.
Depending on the day and how I feel, I will choose one of these options to start my morning with. Having a plan is helpful because it will help you actually make the most of waking up earlier. You're not left wondering what to actually do with the extra time. Also, having options is useful because it allows you to do different things each day, especially if you're the type of person that gets bored easily. Come to your early morning times with the Lord with a plan of attack to maximize the opportunity you have.
Barnabas the Monastic
Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.
