Yesterday's post about rising early resulted in a huge number of page loads, and only a few responses so far...so, hopefully that means many of you are still prayerfully considering the challenge to prioritize time alone in the Word at the start of your day. For those of you who joined in, how did you do? I had a terrible night with a three yr. old who continues to struggle with leg cramps at night, but praise God, I found myself actually joyful to be up...with coffee, and these tips from Shopping for Time
- Place your alarm clock in a strategic location, preferably on the other side of the room from your bed.
- Set your alarm for the same time every day.
- Never, never, never hit the snooze button or lie back down to catch a few more winks. The second your alarm goes off is the most critical moment in getting up early.
- Proceed directly to the coffee pot or caffeinated drink of choice.
- Be prepared to feel absolutely miserable for about ten to fifteen minutes. But the misery soon turns into pure gladness as you experience the delight of meeting with God and reap the benefits the rest of the day. Fifteen minutes of misery is certainly worth fifteen-plus hours of peace and productivity.
- Remember that our bodies eventually respond to a standard wake-up time. In other words, it gets easier.
If you are joining me on this, hang in there! ....oh, and if you are planning to make the Mango Bourbon BBQ sauce this week for your pulled pork sandwiches, stay tuned tomorrow for a Spiced Rum Grilled Pineapple that will pair quite perfectly!