Right now you are in one of two places. Either the thought of becoming a morning person seems as impossible as becoming a world-class athlete or you’ve tried to become a morning person and your days are filled with so much tired haze that you can’t even see clearly enough to remember why you got up early in the first place!
Remember . . .
“No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.” Hebrews 12:11
Let’s keep our eye on the peaceful harvest!
There is one general benefit of getting up early no matter what your goal is for doing so. That is productivity in something you want to accomplish, but most likely wouldn’t get to during the day.
However, I am going to talk about the benefits of being a morning person based on my two goals:
Time with God and Exercise
1. My relationship with God is stronger.
- Surrender
When I give God the first fruits of my day (Exodus 23:19, Job 1:5) I am able to lay everything out of the table for Him – my blessings, my family, my fears, my worries – and acknowledge that He is the God of the universe, and He is in control. The day I am about to go into is bigger than myself, it has been preordained, and I am His disciple, not the savior.
- Peace
Through surrendering my day to God, I am able to experience His peace. Throughout the day when things get hectic and tense and relationally out-of-control I have my morning to fall back on and remember that He is the same God He was a few hours prior.
- Wisdom
The more truth from God’s Word that I put into my brain, the less yuck from the outside stays in, and I gain understanding and wisdom about who God truly is. Building up a storehouse of God’s thoughts in my mind is definitely a slow process, but I have seen the benefits when I am able to recall something I read in scripture at the very moment I need it to help me.
- Friendship
In these quiet moments of prayer and scripture reading God becomes a person. He becomes a friend, and I experience Jesus. This is how I have come to know Jesus a person whom I have a relationship with – not just an abstract god whom I have no connection to. This is also how I experience the Cross. God shows Himself to me in these tiny, quiet moments and I am reminded that He is for me, not against me (Romans 8:31).
2. I am healthier.
- Physically
Exercise obviously makes us healthier. But getting up early to exercise gives me energy for the rest of the day. It’s the lighter fluid that gets the my fire burning to accomplish all the tasks for the day!
- Emotionally
One time I told my primary care doctor that I just didn’t feel happy. I felt depressed. The first thing out of her mouth was “exercise”. This is the body’s escape!
- Spiritually
Yes, spiritually. Exercise reminds me of all that I am blessed with – a heart, lungs, legs, even toes. It reminds me that I am a steward of the body God gave me, and He wants me to use it for His glory and be grateful for it (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). The best way for me to do this is to not take it for granted, but use it for what it is capable of doing.
Photo Credit: Creative Commons
How could you benefit from becoming a morning person?
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