Ramblings About Mornings

Today I will address my thoughts on the question:

Is it a sin NOT to be a morning person?

Now, I realize this article will sound like I am on a high horse, and will definitely step on the toes of most people who read it. (It is stomping on the toes of the person who is writing it!)
This is not anything groundbreaking... I'm sure many people have said it before and much more eloquently than I can. As such, this is not meant to be a devotional or a sermon; these are just my thoughts along with a couple Scripture verses. But you may have a better argument AGAINST my view, so feel free to comment as such, or to just stop reading now.
Ok, here we go.

As I was laying in bed this morning listening to my 11 month old tell me in no uncertain terms from his crib that he is READY TO GET UP, I grumbled and sighed and thought, "Why me, Lord?"
So, I guess I started the day in prayer which means I'm off to a great start, right? (note: this is sarcasm.)

But, as I dragged myself out of bed, took care of my son, and then grumbling, made the coffee, the thought came to me: it's ok for me to be a little grumpy... I'm just "not a morning person"... right?

I don't know where this phrase came from, but it seems to me a little bit like an excuse. Mornings are something we all have to deal with. They are (for most of us) the start of the day, and whether your day has to start at dawn or noon (or anywhere in between), the point is that it has to start SOMEWHERE.

Note: I know a lot of people work night shifts or have other circumstances that cause "morning" for them to be at a different time of day. Probably most of this article would still apply to them, but for my purposes I mostly have actual "mornings" in mind here.

So, if morning is a part of life that we cannot escape, then the only difference I see between "morning people" and "non-morning people" is the attitude they employ to deal with it. Typically, a morning person embraces the time with a smile and a vigor to start the day, while a non-morning person will fall on the spectrum anywhere from being silent and reserved to being grumpy and lashing out at anyone in his/her way.

I realize that some people do seem to be "wired" to need more sleep (we see this even in infants) and that some people seem to be "wired" to need a slow transition from sleeping to wakefulness. We'll talk later about being understanding with these people.
But, if this is true that the issue of being a morning person is related to attitude, then I think I can safely say that it whether or not you are a morning person IS a heart issue, and that means, dare I say it, that being a non-morning person is actually a sin.



Ok, time for some Scripture. First, a little bit of defense for the non-morning person.

Proverbs 27:14 "He who blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning,

It will be counted a curse to him."

As I said before, some people are just naturally wired to be able to wake up refreshed and ready to sing a musical number. Other people want to be quiet for a while and have a slow transition into the day. THIS is not a sinful attitude towards mornings. If your morning person friend comes up to you with a huge bear hug and a loud, bubbly "Good Morning!!", it is not necessarily sinful to ask them to tone it down for a bit, and maybe give you some space. (If you snap at them or coldly ignore them, however, is this really a Philippians 2:3-4 attitude? "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." Remember, just like you maybe can't help your predispositions toward mornings, neither can they.)

But none of us can deny that God DOES say quite a bit in His Word about the attitude that we should try to foster in regards toward mornings. 

Mornings should be a time of prayer:

Psalm 5:3 "My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; 

In the morning I will direct it to You,

And I will look up."

Psalm 88:13 "But to You I have cried out, O Lord,

And in the morning my prayer comes before You."

Mornings should be a time of meditation:

Isaiah 50:4b "He awakens Me morning by morning,

He awakens My ear

To hear as the learned."

And, *cringe*, we even see that mornings should be a time for singing:

Psalm 90:14 "Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days."

Psalm 59:16 "But I will sing of Your power;

Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;

For You have been my defense

And refuge in the day of my trouble."

Mornings (in some cases, EARLY mornings) should be a time for productivity:

Proverbs 31:15 "She also rises while it is yet night,

And provides food for her household,

And a portion for her maidservants." 

Note: I know this is a passage depicting a virtuous woman, but I think the attitude of provision for others even when it is a sacrifice for yourself is a biblical principle that can be applied to everyone. 

Proverbs 20:13 "Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty;

Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread."

These verses are mostly from the Psalms and Proverbs, so maybe you will be saying, "Sure, this is a good idea for David and Solomon, who were obviously morning people, but I can do all of those things later in the day. I just don't have the time in the morning to do my devotions, and I can still praise the Lord without singing in the morning!" I think that may be true... the importance of worship through Bible study, song, and prayer should not be regulated to a time of day. 

But... just think for a minute about your reasoning... before you excuse yourself from following the pattern in these verses, ask yourself what your reasons are. Are you putting off doing these things because you honestly need the sleep? That would probably be a valid reason... we know that God has designed our bodies to NEED rest. Psalm 127:2 "It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep." 

Or are you shirking responsibilities because you WANT extra sleep? That was me this morning; I didn't go to sleep till after 11pm (which is late for me) because I always wait up at night till my husband gets home from work. This is an important time for us as a couple, and it is not something I feel I should give up, but taking care of my son when he wakes up in the morning is not something I can give up, either. These are my responsibilities to my family, and to say that I can't do them cheerfully because I'm "not a morning person" is sinful.

But, hey, I woke up and took care of the diaper... that counts, right? My husband has a t-shirt that says something like "I'm up an dressed, what more do you want?" We laugh at this, but this is the point where I might get a little controversial. (Up till now you're probably just going, "duh".) My thought this morning about being a non-morning person was...

Why do we as Christians excuse sinful behavior with the phrase "I'm just not a morning person."?

If you can truly NOT be a morning person, but still combat the sinful behaviors that often go along with it-- laziness (Proverbs 26:14) , grumpiness (Proverbs 16:32), shirking responsibilities (Proverbs 21:5), neglecting worship (see verses above), and overall disregard for the happiness of others (Philippians 2)-- then sure, maybe being a non-morning person is not sinful for you. But the truth is, when we use the phrase "he/she's not a morning person" we usually are referring to someone who DOES manifest at least some of these behaviors. 

Think about it like this. When a little kid asks "Dad, why is mom always so grumpy in the morning?" it is considered acceptable to say "Well, honey, she's just not a morning person. Try not to bother her for a couple hours."
But if that little kid asked "Dad, why does mom always throw thing at us when she gets angry?" we may report this woman for child abuse!

My point is, both attitudes are sinful. I feel that this issue is another life situation where we tend to minimize sin, or at the very least, create "levels" of sinfulness. ("Sure, he's never been a morning person. We never can talk to him till he's had his first cup of coffee. But that's just who he is. At least he doesn't beat his children.")

We do the same thing with children... we often excuse sin because of external circumstances. ("I know he is throwing a temper tantrum, but he didn't sleep well last night and he is cutting a new tooth.")

Don't get me wrong... I think we all have a responsibility to be understanding of others and recognize when they are having a hard time with something. You would hope that they would treat you with the same kindess when YOU are struggling! But just like tiredness and pain are a part of life, and you are not doing your child any favors if always excuse their sinful behavior when it has a "valid reason", so mornings are a part of life, and we are not doing each other any favors to say, "It's okay that you don't wake up and help with the kids. It's okay that when you do wake up you snap at your spouse and co-workers. It's okay that you procrastinate on your work until you've had enough coffee, or skip devotions because you didn't have enough time." Why are things like sluggishness, grumpiness, and procrastination viewed as "lesser sins"?

Something as small as one selfish, fleeting frown in the morning (that could break the heart of my eager child), is a sin for which my Savior's blood was shed.

So, if you categorize yourself as a "morning person", please try to be understanding of your loved ones who are trying to combat fleshly desires for sleep and self in this area.

And if you call yourself a "non-morning person", do some deep introspection to find out if this predisposition of yours is manifesting itself in any sinful attitudes or behaviors.

I hope that my husband is as patient with me as I try to be more Christlike in the mornings as I am trying to be with him. (And that our son learns to be patient with both of us.)

I know this is long and rambly, but if you've read any of my other posts, you know that's how I roll.

Thanks for reading.