The alarm clock shatters the silence of the early morning stillness and I stretch out in the dark to cease the unwelcome vociferation. In my head, I overhear the same familiar thoughts that seem to haunt me each morning...Just take a few more minutes of rest, don't you think you deserve it? It is so snug and pleasant, maybe if you linger just a short time, it won't make a difference. Oh, but it will! I only need remind myself of the days gone by when I have chosen additional respite, and then the memories of the ramifications flow like a raging river. No, I tell myself, the few minutes of resting here will be regretted far into the afternoon if I choose to be so selfish. It is time to get up!
The calling of responsibilities, it seems, will forever be at war with the fleshly side of who I am...the mom, who when nestled in her ivory fleece sheets, feels more like a cat curled in the sunshine, than the one in charge of a household of seven. I, the one who loves order as much as a general in the army, must remind myself that one portion of routine cannot be savoured if I have not followed through with the earlier portion of self-discipline. And so, it is out of bed I find myself, without granting permission for "snooze" to be touched, and into the shower to begin my day.
As I work a thick lather of sweet-smelling soap into my hair, I ponder again those words of old...yes, God grants sleep to those He loves (Psalm 127), but strange, nowhere in the Bible does He take time to tell me to get enough sleep. He seems to know that I am prone to favour the snare of laziness. Is it not safe to conclude that my Creator knew I would gravitate to sleep like a fly to butter, and it is I who am in need of the cautioning verses like Proverbs 19:15? In the Message it words it well by saying, "Life collapses on the loafers; lazybones go hungry." And as much as I might wince when I hear of the woman from Proverbs 31, I have to give her credit - her lights were on late into the evening and she was up before sunrise...I am seeing the similarities of our lives.
My thoughts are suspended as there is a "POUND, POUND" at the door of the bathroom. I hear the elevated voice of my child, trying to be heard above the flow of water, "Are we having toast and honey today?" Do their stomachs really groan of hunger so early in the morning, or is it just a guise to burst the bubble of tranquility that their mother had been savouring? Either way, the time has come to end the enticing flow of hot water over my skin, and I step out of the shower and into the day that awaits me.
By the time I am standing at the breakfast counter, across from five of the sweetest faces I will ever gaze upon, I am reminded of the reason I rose with the clock, and not with my fleshly choosing. It was in order that I might relish the delicate rhythms of routine and order that come with life in a timely manner, as opposed to struggling through the rush and tension that would be bearing down on us all, IF mommy had chosen to linger longer.
"Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; Open your eyes and you will be satisfied with bread (toast and honey maybe?)." Proverbs 20 :13
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