Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Perseverance Pays Off

My brother recently posted this comment on facebook: “I hate getting used to waking up early. I also don't like it when I sleep in too late.” This comment may seem ambiguous to some, but it makes perfect sense to me.

It must be a family trait but I HATE to get up in the morning. It is literally painful for me. When I am first awaken to the sound of my four banshees I feel as if I have to fight my way up against Jupiter’s gravity, which is 2.36 times stronger than ours. After a half hour or so of physically struggling to lift myself up, and sometimes a little crying, “Just ten more minutes, Mom!” I finally manage to pull myself upright. A short stumble to the bathroom is followed by a longer stumble to Kitchen Utopia, the land of coffee and uppers. The strange thing is once I get up and get moving (and start my caffeine IV) I start to feel better. By nine o’clock I almost feel…gasp! Human!

Once I am transformed back from a pumpkin, I have a full day ahead of me to accomplish things. And of course, any student/mother-of-four/military wife, can understand how important it is to have that time to use rather than wasting it in lolling in bed. Like my brother I don’t like to get up early, but even more than that, I don’t like to sleep in too late and waste my day.

I experienced this lesson in a different way when I attended a meeting at Creighton earlier this evening. The girl next to me was feeling a little stressed as she navigated her way back into the hectic schedule of a full-time student after what I assume (for a traditional student) was a summer of part-time work and plenty of play. As she spoke to me I realized that I couldn’t relate. I wasn’t feeling stressed about the start of the semester. In fact, I kind of feel like I’m on vacation right now. Five classes, four kids, magazine staff member…what part of this screams vacation?

The truth is, two weeks before the fall semester began I was taking a super-accelerated class while the kids were still home on summer break. My homework took several hours EVERY DAY, and I had to do it with four noisemakers circling around me like buzzards who smell fresh road kill. After that kind of trial, the start of this semester is a relief to me. My classes are moving at a much, much slower pace, and I get to do my homework in silence. Hallelujah!

My unwillingness to crawl out of bed in the morning and my torturous five weeks of summer school share a common lesson. Sometimes life is hard, but if we persevere good things will come from the hard times. Waking up is hard for some of us, but having the entire day available to accomplish things is bliss. Summer school with kids at home is hard, but a more relaxed schedule and a little quiet time is bliss. The point is, we can’t enjoy the good stuff without first pushing through the hard stuff.

James 1:2-3, 12
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance…Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.

2 comments:

  1. Nice! Those of us with Chronice Fatigue will always struggle : )

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  2. I truly hate to get up in the morning, ask your Uncle sometime.....but when I do sleep in on Saturdays and (shhhh) Sundays too I berate myself all day for the things I could have done when I was sleeping. I can so relate to this. You are not alone! Love ya!

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