When you wake up in the morning what is the first thing you do…
Hit the snooze button for just a few more minutes of sleep?
Rush in to squelch a squabble in the kitchen?
Roll onto your knees for morning prayers?
Jump into the shower and start checking things off your list?
Check your Facebook account to see what was missed while you were sleeping?
Pretend you’re asleep to avoid the things on your list?
Open up your scriptures to study?
Enjoy a little more snuggle time with your spouse?
My husband recently shared a study with me about how people who go to bed with something exciting to wake up to are more eager to get out of bed in the morning.
Think of kids on Christmas Eve. They anticipate the good things to come so much that they wake up earlier than any other day of the year!
I’ve been struggling a bit with my mornings lately. I just can’t seem to jump right out of bed. A couple of my kids wake up extra early for zero-hour classes and I think, “Man! I should get up and make them breakfast.” But I don’t.
I know what my husband says is true, though. When I’ve got a great walking partner or an early yoga class to attend, I wake up. When it’s a family member’s birthday and I’ve got a special breakfast to prepare, I wake up. I remember a couple of years ago I had the responsibility to teach at church and I couldn’t wait to wake up to study for a good hour before the kids arose.
What is it about one desire that overrides another? Sleep is essential, and yet when something more important or more desirable to us presents itself, the need for sleep can be pushed aside. Food is essential, but in many religious faiths fasting for a specific purpose can override the need to eat. Comfortable shelter is required and yet, to build family memories, some of us will spend a few days in the mountains in a tent!
I think it’s important we all ask this question, “What is it going to take to get me up in the mornings with excitement and enthusiasm to start my day?” Maybe we need to find that walking buddy or have a morning project to which we wake up. Or maybe we simply need to change our outlook on our frequently mundane mornings. For instance, maybe I need to relish in the joy it brings my children when I wake up early to make them breakfast. Maybe my desire for a strong and healthy relationship for them can ultimately override my self-proclaimed need for a few extra minutes of sleep.
Dallin H. Oaks said, “Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions.” So tomorrow morning, what is it that I will desire more than sleep? What is it that I will go to bed dreaming about so I can wake up feeling joy and excitement for the day ahead? It just might be breakfast for my kids. Or…maybe something else…The possibilities are endless and I’m excited to discover them!
-Julia
This article appeared first on Real Imprints.
Read more from Julia at Spiritually Minded Motherhood.
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