When the Rooster Crows…
~Ephesians 5:15-17
That rooster alarm tone I discovered on my new phone was so much funnier when it was 7:00 p.m. the night before the first day of my new job/the school year. Now that it’s 5:30 a.m., I’m half tempted to toss my phone across the room just to make it stop.
I’ve never been a morning person. My poor parents who had to wake me up for school each and every day. They came in at least a half dozen times to wake me up, always reminding me what time it was and that I only had “a few minutes left” before we needed to be out the door. If I could say I was sorry a million times and make mornings go smoother around here, I would. I even see this trait in our daughter already who never misses an opportunity to tell me how tired she is in the morning.
When I accepted the job at the kids’ school, I knew our mornings would have to start early and I would need to change that part of me. After all, I had always wanted to be a morning person. For the most part though, as a stay at home mom, I never felt a lot of pressure to be anywhere at a certain time. And so the process began of praying each and every day for Him to show me what I needed to do to make that happen and trying to do my part as well. God has helped me to realize that in every way, I must care for myself first so that I can help my children second. And so I manage to wake up before the kids every day and get myself ready so that I can be better prepared to help them become the morning people that I never was. I’ve asked Him to for the strength to begin my day with a happy heart. I can’t take credit for the fact that we’ve been on time, every day except one. (Like I said, it’s a process.)
If you’ve read my bio page you know that I also run a screen printing business out of our home. I’ve been accused by many close to me that I try to do too much. While I don’t necessarily disagree with that, until I hear that same message from the Lord, I will press on. In the year and a half I’ve ran my business, never have I been as busy with it as I am now. Why? His ways are higher than mine and I need to trust that. We are home by 7:00 p.m. each night which leaves little time for anything else other than dinner, baths, and bedtime. I have witnessed Matthew 11:28 at work in my life which says, Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. God has carried me through it all.
Practically speaking, much preparation is needed the night before a school/work day. Lunches, baths, clothes ironed and laid out, coffee set to brew before I even get up; virtually anything to make the mornings go smoothly, I try and do. And yes, I’m supposed to get to bed at a decent hour. I’m still working on that. I’ve got 24 hours in a day just like everyone else and so regardless of the time my head hits the pillow, the rooster crows at the same time, Monday through Friday.
Heidi Anderson currently resides in Washington State. She is a wife, a mother of 2 beautiful children, a small business owner, and works full time at the Christian school her kids attend. In her spare time (if there were such a thing!), she plays in a country music band, doing local shows in the Seattle area. In addition to spending time with her family, she is also deeply involved in her church, studying history, politics and all things relating to music.