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Last week I had one of those mornings where my children slept past 7. They never do this so you’d think that I would be thrilled, and for the first thirteen seconds of my day, I was.
Then I fell under attack, literally. I had my son on one leg and my daughter on the other, both clamoring for my attention, for milk, breakfast, a pacifier.
My daughter performed a stirring 2 minute song about why she should NOT have to go put panties on.
My son ran to the pantry, voicing his demands for cereal, bunny crackers and candy.
Then the cat chimed in and my soul seriously longed for 2 minutes to make coffee, take a deep breathe, and process the chaos of my life.
That’s when it struck me, children make effective, yet terrible alarm clocks. The concept of arising before you children to commune with God and sip coffee isn’t just for Christian Rockstars. It’s for all of us who want to survive, and this goes double for parents.
The enemy wants you to start your day tripping over your own life, frazzled from the get go. He delights in seeing you forget about your foundation of faith and get caught up in the stress of the moment.
God promises us peace and as a mother of young children I’m pretty sure he’s offering it in the midst of the chaos, not in spite of it. Will beating my kids awake and getting a sane start on my day ensure that there will be no cheerio tantrums or panty protests?
Heck to the No. He doesn’t promise the chaos won’t come, but he promises to sustain me through it.
You may not be a morning person, I’m pretty sure that 87.5% of the population isn’t, but I encourage you to do what you can to beat your children awake. I know that some nights you’re up every hour searching for a lost paci underneath a crib or holding a snuggly, fevery little body. Still, as often as you can, give your first to God and see if the Chaos of the day starts to feel a little less crazy and a lot more conquerable.
What time do you get up? Do you get up before your kids or are your kiddos your alarm clock?
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