Waking Up is Hard to Do (now that I've done it, I know that it's true...)

So, despite no Muchas Monday posting for yesterday, I had a terrific day. It was actually freezing cold outside...the wind was pretty bitter, piped directly from the North Pole. But it was sunny (!), and I got a lot accomplished...and I had TONS of energy...the! whole!! day!!! What was my secret? I'll share it...but first, a digression:
So, over the past month, I've gotten to follow several mom/adventures in mom-dom/housewife type blogs. Quite a few are by Christian women...one or two are not...another bunch are from Catholic women (shock...wheeze...gasp...drink some water). Most center around housekeeping, cooking, organizing, being frugal, stretching the dollar...you get the point. I've found great encouragement from these blogs and find myself wondering "where were these back when I had newborns in my house?" That, my friends, is how fast things change in 7 plus a few years. Welcome to the 21st century. (Ahem...back to my digression...)...so, one of these blogs had a link to this blog. Back before our computer crashed last summer, or 2 summers ago, I had heard of this blog and sort of followed it...but then the computer crashed and I lost the link, etc. etc. So I was glad to find it again. As I was cruising around on the blog, I noticed button for the "Five O'Clock Club." Curious, I clicked on it...and discovered what it was. Basically, the deal is thus: you set your alarm for (ungodly hour of your choosing), you actually get up when it goes off, you go directly to caffeine source and imbibe, and then you sit down and have your quiet time with God. Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy...right? After reading about this, I would love to say that I went and spent 2 hours in prayer, and God sent a carrier pigeon with a message from Him that said "Behold, this is a goodly idea, sent from Me" complete with halo, and angelic choir singing. That did not happen. However, I did feel like God put this in my path for a reason (reason being that I wanted to get my quiet time back on track as a goal for 2011), and felt an urging from Him on this. So, I signed up...I figured if I signed up, it would be more public and I would feel more accountable and inclined to actually do the thing. I chose 6:00 a.m. as my wake-up time (for now anyway). I also told my husband the engineer...he was also intrigued.
So, yesterday morning was my first morning doing this. The alarm went off at 6:00 a.m. I lay there for about 5 minutes, then my husband the engineer and I went downstairs and picked our spots for our respective quiet times...he made coffee as well. I enjoyed a quiet, peaceful and uninterrupted time with Him...it was great. I had a great morning...our morning routine went so well, and I got so much accomplished before getting the kids out the door to school. The energy carried with me through the rest of the day...and I made a hard stop mid-afternoon to pray The Hours for that timeframe (another thing I wanted to get established this year). Excellent day.
Today? Not so much. The alarm went off. I didn't get out of bed...I lay abed till about 6:45...and the morning did not feel as peaceful and calm as it did yesterday by any stretch. I feel groggy still...and my quiet time will not be happening today, most likely.
So, lesson learned? Get up when the alarm goes off. You will get done what needs doing, you will feel better, and you will get more done. Most importantly, you will get the day started off right spending time at the feet of Jesus, even for only a few moments.
I would encourage you to look at the Girltalk website and check out the Five O'Clock Club. If the Lord is leading you to do this, go for it. I also found the idea that other women were involved in this so uplifting and encouraging. I felt boosted in prayer yesterday...and such a thankfulness that other women were up around the same time I was, enjoying time with God and praying to Him...and I prayed for them, as I know at least some are praying for the other women doing this. This isn't a pressure thing...if this doesn't work for you, fine. But for me, at least, I'm happy to have found something that instills structure, routine & rhythm into my life...and gives me the boost I need in my spiritual life. My prayer is that He will work in your life to give you that time to carve out to spend at His feet, too.