I need an intervention

Let's say, hypothetically, that someone wrote a profound and deeply spiritual blog post about getting up to spend time with Jesus at 5am and then slept until 7am this morning...

Okay, okay, it's true. I did.  

(And did I mention that I'm supposed to be at work by 8 and it takes me 35 minutes to get there? Yeah, it was one of those mornings.)

I debated about whether or not to share this because, you know, some of you might have a little bit of a delusional idea that I might have some part of my life together.

But in the end I decided that I just can't keep anything from you so there it is. I bet the Proverbs 31 woman would not blog about such a thing and then oversleep. But she had servant girls so it's really not a fair comparison.

Anyway, I'm not going to make excuses. Except I will say that my hubby left at 4am this morning. After he was gone I fell back asleep and the rest is history.

So even though I've already goofed it up, I'm committed. But I need help, serious help. So all of you morning people and converted night owls, leave me a comment and tell me what I need to do. Please.

(By the way, all of this sleep talk reminds me of a story. When I was a newlywed, my husband--the ultra morning person--used to tell me, "You can get up early. You'll be fine!" I insisted that my hair would fall out or some other tragedy would occur if I got up a moment before it was really necessary. One morning he left for work early. My alarm went off, I got a shower, and was eating breakfast when the phone rang. My hubby asked, "Hey, whatcha doing?" I told him I was about to head out the door. He started laughing and then confessed to changing all the clocks in our apartment to an hour later. "See," he said quite cheerily, "You can get up early." Oh, I love that man, but it's amazing he's still alive.)

So if you don't help me, I'll have to ask Mark for assistance and he's likely to take drastic measures again--like installing an eject button on my side of the bed. Let's not give him the opportunity.

At this moment I'm feeling thankful for grace. And thankful for all of you lovely readers who don't judge me. You're not judging, right?

Comments

[Krista]

Hey Holley...just wanted to share this with you. This morning at my women's group, we were discussing the Proverbs 31 woman. And one of the women in our group made a great point--that this chapter of Proverbs was a record of this woman's entire journey, her whole life. It wasn't just a snippet of a day or a week in her life.

Just wanted to encourage you that I'm sure she had plenty of days when she slept in or had a bad day. It's the overall picture of her life that is inspiring to us & challenges us to keep growing!

[Jeanne @ Inspiring Ideas]

Oh, Holley! I'm with you! I cannot possibly rise 1 second before absolutely necessary ... and have a husband who tried a few "tricks" early in our marriage, too! 15 years later one incident is still "too soon" to laugh about! :-)

[Couch potato wanna be]

I can sooo relate to you. But over the years I have learned the trick to getting up early. Are you ready? ...Go to bed early! For me, there is one very big problem with this. I get my second wind about 9pm. Yep, I'm wide awake and ready to surf the internet, read, clean, anything but sleep. So I cut out the caffine about 5:00. That seems to help a bit. And I do something the experts say NOT to do. I have a set of 5 lb wights by my bed. After my "morning person" husband is fast asleep, I get up and lift weights for a little bit. It seems to relax me and I can fall asleep easier.
So there you have it... go to bed earlier and if you can't sleep do something that relaxes you. Hope this helps. :o)

[Lori]

Hi, Holley --

My sleep patterns often depend upon my stress and health levels, or even a hidden allergy, so it's not all a matter of will power! This blog post I read awhile back is a good start, though:
http://tinyurl.com/yu88b8

[jane]

haha, =) thanks to reading your blog, i woke up slightly earlier to spend some time with God ~

God still loves you and will be waiting to spend time with you tomorrow =)

[Grace Bower]

Jane is right - i woke earlier than usual and wondered if your blog yesterday had affected me here in New Zealand! (I am already in Thursday morning)So I laughed at your honesty in sharing how you didn't make it but now I wonder how many others around the world woke up for you!!

Lori has connected us to a great article about waking up early. I did some more surfing and his uncopyright article is full of generosity and creativity that is another wake-up call!

[Mary @ Giving Up on Perfect]

Oh, Holley. Of COURSE I wouldn't judge you - I AM you! I mean, in this case, I am just the same as you. Every night I set my alarm for a few minutes earlier, thinking I'll work my way up to getting up at a respectable time. And every morning, I either wake up early and reset it or I hit snooze for 20+ minutes. So I don't get up and work out. I don't get up and read my Bible. I don't get up and do anything, other than run around like crazy, griping at my husband and neglecting my daughter and not drying my hair. Thank you for your honest - it's one of the things I just love about you and your blog.

[Mary Lynn]

I, too, committed to getting up at 5 for some quite time with God. Yesterday, I awoke at 5:14 and was up and going but today I awoke at 6:00 when hubby's alarm clock buzzed. I needed that time today to fuel up for the hectic last days of the school. Tomorrow is a new day so let's try again.

[Barbara in SoCal]

Reading your blog today was like a balst from the past. As a single working mother of 5, there were plently of times I have asked God to bless me for my good intentions. My children are all grown now with families of their own, and I have retired. We are not super humans, and I think we can be too hard on ourselves. Don't be afraid to fail, but rather be afraid not to try! Thanks for sharing your day!

[Debbie Weasenforth]

I appreciated your honesty. It was just one more reason why I love your blog. Thank you for sharing!

[cathy davis]

NO Judging!!

I've gotten all three days so far (go me) but this morning I was at a loss as to what to do...You have mornings (or times) like that? I wish I could say I just meditated on the Word and felt so full, but that wouldn't be truthful or even close to truthful!

Unless I'm in a study, I don't much know what to do with quiet time. I keep praying God will just tell me...Anyone seen a talking donkey around??

[Sarah Markley]

i'm an early riser. can we still be friends?

[Bobbe Brooks-Fischle]

Holley,
LUV your heart-sharings! As with you, the most important time of my day ARE those early morning moments with HIM. BUT from an "ex-superwoman"--who pushed my bod to the brink--if your body screams "sleep in"--listen!
LUV ya precious one!

[Jennifer Saake (a.k.a. InfertilityMom)]

{{{hugs}}}

[Sarah Mae]

Are you part of the 5:16 club?

Come and be encouraged in rising early!

[Laura Tharel]

You make me feel better about life. Thanks for sharing, even when it's difficult. I've (I'd venture to say we've) all been there! I think accountability is a key, and it's cool that you have it here! Thanks again for letting us be part of your ups and downs!