One Huge Key To Success
It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. Psalm 127:2
Every day, it seems, I meet someone who is very TIRED, and it's negatively affecting their life in a myriad of ways.
They are often sick, always behind, and rarely at the top of their game. They miss opportunities, disqualify themselves from promotions, feel terrible and let people down, among other things. And most of the time, it's simply because they go to bed too late.
Recently in one of my classes at Rhema, I got off on a "rabbit trail" talking about what I believe is one huge key to success -- being awake in the day, and asleep in the night!
It sounds simple, yet a lot of us are missing out on this simple truth and what it means to our lives. When we go to bed on time, we get up on time, and as a result, many, MANY things go well with us! Read on...
When We Go to Bed On Time
Now, I know there are a lot of legitimate reasons why some of us are sleep deprived. Sometimes it's simply beyond our control. But that's not what I'm talking about.
Let's admit it -- a lot of times, we're just undisciplined. We go to bed too late for no real reason. Or we're making wrong decisions throughout the day so that we have to stay up late to catch up.
Very often there is something we can do about going to bed on time. But first we have to WANT TO. I believe if we understood the benefits, we'd do it. The Bible tells us (above) it's vain to stay up late, and there are benefits to living a disciplined life (1 Corinthians 9:25). God can't increase us if we're undisciplined.
From a practical standpoint, let's take a look at what happens when we DO go to bed on time and get up on time.
1) We have time to read our Bible and pray in the morning (Psalm 5:3). We have opportunity to hear from God, and get His instructions for the day. As a result, our steps are ordered, our faith is strong, divine connections are made and we can work smarter not harder. We're ready to help others, because we never know when a crisis will strike. Instead of living life in our own strength, we're tapping into the wisdom of the ages all day long (John 15:5). Do you think a day which starts like that might go well?
2) We look good! Our clothes are clean and pressed, we have time for a shower, so our hair is washed, our teeth are brushed. Our face has that well-rested look. We don’t know who we’re going to meet in a day, and we'll only have one chance to make a first impression .
3) We eat a good breakfast (and we have time to pack a good lunch or plan a good dinner if we want to). Breakfast really IS the most important meal of the day! It can fuel our body for optimum health and efficiency. That makes our skin glow, our organs function properly, and our immune system strong enough to push away all the "sickness opportunities" that come our way during a day.
4) On the job or in class, we’re sharp -- we're ready and on top of our game. We're attentive, we hear important things, have good ideas, and don't miss a thing. We get along better with people. We can be our boss's “go-to guy”, in position for promotion. We're useful and productive, and let's face it -- just plain happier as a result.
5) By afternoon or evening, we don't "zone out." We don’t have to spend our lunch hour catching up or taking a nap (while the rest of the world is still awake, getting ahead!). We can still be productive after work if we want to. We don’t get behind on studying or other necessary activities. We have time to wash clothes, go grocery shopping, cook meals ahead, study the Word, pray, or do other things God has put on our heart.
Hopefully we're starting to see that the simple discipline of going to bed on time can make a huge difference in our success every day.
When We Stay Up Late
The choice to go to bed late will mean one of three things: we wake up exhausted, we might be late...or we don't get up at all! What are the results of that choice...
1) If we miss school or work or wherever we're supposed to be, it's NOT a good witness, we miss things that others are getting, we're behind, and we might even lose our jobs or get kicked out of school...the list goes on and on.
2) We don't have time to read our Bible or pray, so we're living life in our own strength. We start out behind. Our faith is weak and we aren't spiritually prepared for what comes along in a day.
3) We probably look like someone who got up late. The clothes, the face, the hair...you get the picture. It may be the day we meet our future boss, our future spouse, our future ministry partner…a divine connection. Enough said.
4) We don’t eat at all, or we grab something sugary or fatty with very few nutrients. We do nothing to fuel our body, nothing to help our mind, nothing to fight off the current sickness that’s going around. That could mean we get sick, miss more school, more work…we lose more money and have to pay more at the doctor…
5) At work, in class, or at church, we can barely stay awake. We don't feel like being excellent. We're focused mostly on ourselves and our fatigue. We might miss important information, life-changing truths, or simply an opportunity to be a blessing and a help. We’re not effective, not sharp, not dependable, and not helping anyone else.
6) By afternoon we’re exhausted…maybe we take a nap, wake up about 6:00 pm, and then wonder why we can’t sleep at night…or maybe we drink caffeine too late, and then can't sleep...and we're caught in a terrible cycle.
Let’s Set Ourselves Up to Succeed
It turns out that our decisions around 10:00 or 11:00 at night have a huge effect on the success of our daily lives. It's no wonder that some of us just can't get ahead -- we're not setting ourselves up to succeed!
I encourage you to decide, and do whatever it takes to get to bed on time. Do like Paul and bring your body into subjection (1 Cor. 9:27)...tell it when to go to bed! I believe it really can be a huge key to success in your life.
