For the last few months, my team has known me as the early riser, up before dawn sometimes to spend time with Jesus before my day starts. They call me the disciplined one.
Before the Race, I wasn't the kind of person who did morning devos… I was the one who fell asleep reading the Bible if I tried to do devos before heading off to work or class.
That changed on the Race when I began to learn how vital this time of day is to my spritual well being. I know it doesn't matter what time of day it is, but for me, i liked to do it first thing in the morning, before anyone else was up. That way, I start my day off right and get to have my uninterrupted Jesus time before the many distractions of the day creep in.
This month, has been the most difficult month to get up early. Here in Cambodia, locals go to bed around 7-8pm and wake up around 4-5am. The sun rises around 6am. As a group, we have gotten yelled at several times by our host that we were being too loud, at 7:30 at night. Some nights, we were laughing obnoxiously, but8. other nights, we were just sitting around the dinner table talking. Out of respect, we started going to bed earlier since there wasn't much else to do (especially that was quiet).
Our contact asked us to join hik in doing devos in the morning at 5am. We really wanted to cultivate that relationship, so we agreed but asked if we could push it back to 6am. He obliged.
So, if waking up at 6am wasn't early enough already, in order to have the time I'd like for my devos, I would have to get up around 4am. That is totally doable, especially going to bed at 8. I tried for days, but for some reason or another, I couldn't do it: some mornings, it was too cold, so I just reset my alarm, other days, I got out of bed, but fell asleep in the hammock because it was still dark at. It just wasn't working for me.
In seeing the adverse effects of not having my Jesus time, I tried to come up with a way I could have my devos some other time of day. That didn't work either; there was always an excuse of distraction that kept me from keeping to it.
When I finally brought my frustration to my team, I was expecting them to help me create space some other time of day to get it done. Much to my surprise, that didn't happen. Instead, one by one my teammates offered to wake up at 4am with me to hold me accountable. At first I didn't want to do make them do that. "It wasn't necessary," I told myself. I felt bad that my team was going to sacrifice sleep for me.
Now, as a team, we are all learning in some capacity on how to serve and be serve (most of us are experts on the how to serve side of it, but receiving is a different story…). In the little things, I am quick to let people serve me. I don't give them a hard time and I accept it. But sleep? Something so precious as sleep? How could I ask my team that up for me?
After a few minutes of discussion, I agreed to let them join me in waking up early. It was just the encouragement I needed from my team. At first the feelings of obligation crept in trying to rob me of the joy I get just from having my Jesus team. But after the first morning, I was just as excited and joyful for my Jesus time than I had been in Thailand (probably my all time high time of devos).
So, this month has been a lesson for me to fight for my time with Jesus. If Jesus is really as big a part of my life as I say He is, why wouldn't I fight to spend time with Him? My relationship with Him is the most important thing in my life. Lord, help me remember that and let my actions show that.
I will leave you with a quote on discipline:
In the spiritual life, the word discipline means "the effort to create some space in which God can act." Discipline means to prevent everything in your life from being filled up. Discipline means that somewhere you're not occupied, and certainly not preoccupied. In the spiritual life, discipline means to create that space in which something can happen that you hadn't planned or counted on.
