What Do You Set Your Alarm For?
I had a really good morning. And it's a Wednesday! We didn't have a lot of time to do this, but my wife and I sat on the couch with the sun shining, sipped coffee, listened to the new Needtobreathe album, and read a Psalm. It was wonderful and peaceful.
Angela and I both have to leave for work around 8:00am. Usually this includes the "early riser" getting up around 6:45am and the other rolling out of bed around 7:00am. We then split time in the bathroom, eat breakfast separately, and for me, possibly ironing some clothes to wear that day and scrolling facebook longer than I should. It's pretty much a mad dash out of the house.
Lately I've taken to setting my alarm for 6:15am and forcing myself out of bed. Truth be told, I love mornings, but I hate getting out of bed. With the sun rising sooner it's a lot easier to do this. By getting up half an hour earlier, I start coffee, read a little, iron if need be, and take care of my facebook scrolling by 6:45, when I hop in the shower. By the time I get out, Angela is ready to get in. By 7:30am we're pretty much ready other than maybe finishing getting dressed. The mad separate dashes to our cars is now a peaceful hand-in-hand stroll with a goodbye kiss.
I don't know how long we'll be able to keep this up, but I hope either for good or at least until late fall when it's incredibly dark and depressing in the mornings.
This morning emphasised a revelation I've had over the past few weeks:
You can tell a lot about a person by what they set their alarm for.
Think about it. Why do you set your alarm? Whatever you set it for signifies what you value. For most of us, it's a job or school. Two things worth something for sure, but is that all there is?
What else? Do you ever set your alarm early to drive a family member or a friend to the airport? Clearly you value family and friendship if that's the case. Do you set your alarm a few minutes early to make sure you have devotional time? If you do that, I think it's pretty clear your love for God. I'll set my alarm early to hunt or fish, two things that mean a lot to me. What about the parent who gets up early to make sure they are showered and have a breakfast together for their kids? Certainly that's sacrificial love for children.
On the other hand, I had a college roommate who woke up to his alarm and played video games all morning. Were video games that important to him? This past weekend at Bloomsburg it was "Block Party" where students set their alarm for 7:00am or earlier on a Saturday to start drinking excessively. How important is alcohol and getting drunk to those who did this?
It's pretty clear that our time, or money, and our thoughts are all dedicated to things that matter. I've heard that looking through some one's checkbook is a good indication of what matters the most to him or her. Jesus tells us to store up our treasures in heaven and not on earth where things are eaten up by moths and rust.
The alarm is what wakes us up to start our day. How our day starts and what we do at that time reveals what we value.
It's a question worth asking yourself: What do you set your alarm for?
Also, because it's awesome, here's a new Needtobreathe music video...
Angela and I both have to leave for work around 8:00am. Usually this includes the "early riser" getting up around 6:45am and the other rolling out of bed around 7:00am. We then split time in the bathroom, eat breakfast separately, and for me, possibly ironing some clothes to wear that day and scrolling facebook longer than I should. It's pretty much a mad dash out of the house.
Lately I've taken to setting my alarm for 6:15am and forcing myself out of bed. Truth be told, I love mornings, but I hate getting out of bed. With the sun rising sooner it's a lot easier to do this. By getting up half an hour earlier, I start coffee, read a little, iron if need be, and take care of my facebook scrolling by 6:45, when I hop in the shower. By the time I get out, Angela is ready to get in. By 7:30am we're pretty much ready other than maybe finishing getting dressed. The mad separate dashes to our cars is now a peaceful hand-in-hand stroll with a goodbye kiss.
I don't know how long we'll be able to keep this up, but I hope either for good or at least until late fall when it's incredibly dark and depressing in the mornings.
This morning emphasised a revelation I've had over the past few weeks:
You can tell a lot about a person by what they set their alarm for.
Think about it. Why do you set your alarm? Whatever you set it for signifies what you value. For most of us, it's a job or school. Two things worth something for sure, but is that all there is?
What else? Do you ever set your alarm early to drive a family member or a friend to the airport? Clearly you value family and friendship if that's the case. Do you set your alarm a few minutes early to make sure you have devotional time? If you do that, I think it's pretty clear your love for God. I'll set my alarm early to hunt or fish, two things that mean a lot to me. What about the parent who gets up early to make sure they are showered and have a breakfast together for their kids? Certainly that's sacrificial love for children.
On the other hand, I had a college roommate who woke up to his alarm and played video games all morning. Were video games that important to him? This past weekend at Bloomsburg it was "Block Party" where students set their alarm for 7:00am or earlier on a Saturday to start drinking excessively. How important is alcohol and getting drunk to those who did this?
It's pretty clear that our time, or money, and our thoughts are all dedicated to things that matter. I've heard that looking through some one's checkbook is a good indication of what matters the most to him or her. Jesus tells us to store up our treasures in heaven and not on earth where things are eaten up by moths and rust.
The alarm is what wakes us up to start our day. How our day starts and what we do at that time reveals what we value.
It's a question worth asking yourself: What do you set your alarm for?
Also, because it's awesome, here's a new Needtobreathe music video...
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