Circadian Ryhthym
I don't know if anyone really cares about when I get up and go to sleep :) But I thought I'd post about it anyway.
I've always been fascinated by circadian ryhthym. We all have an internal clock that determines how we tick throughout the day. For what it's worth, I believe in siesta legislation :) I think the world would be a better place if everybody took a nap mat to work with them and took a ten minute cat nap each day :) And eat some nilla wafers while we're at it :)
Anywho.
Last January I started getting up at 5:30 AM. My most productive hours are before 9 AM. That's when I do my best thinking, writing, and praying.
I had a father-in-law who got up before the roosters :) And I saw the way it helped him keep his spiritual edge. So I wanted to emulate that. I also see references to Jesus getting up while it was still dark. I think it was a pattern in his life.
Having said that let me say this. I think there are larks and owls. There are "morning people" and "nocturnal types." I think we've all got to find a ryhthym that works for us.
I've also discovered that I need to mix it up every once in a while. That's what I'm doing right now. I've felt really exhausted at the end of the day lately. And I have almost no creative energy in the afternoons :) So I've switched things up from Thanksgiving till the New Year. It's hard to get up super early when the days are shorter and the weather is colder. So I'm sleeping in a little later these days. I'll go back to 5:30 AM in January, but my work day doesn't get started until 7 or 8 AM these days.
So why post about sleep patterns?
Because rythym is huge! One of the ten commandments is about resting on the seventh day. We've got to find a ryhthym between work and play. We've got to make sure we're re-creating. In fact, re-creation is the key to creation. I don't know that I've ever thought about sleep stewardship :) But we've got to live somewhere in between sleep deprivation and laziness :) We've got to push ourselves and take care of ourselves.
I'm not sure whether you're a lark or an owl, but here's a thought. If you're pursuing your God-given passions you'll have down days like everybody else. But most days that God-given passion will get you up early and keep you up late :)
Nothing is as deenergizing as sin--living outside the will of God. And nothing is as energizing as pursuing a God-given passion--living inside the will of God.
Isn't that what Jesus said in John 4? His "food" was doing the will of the Father. Pursuing a God-given passion has caloric value!
I've always been fascinated by circadian ryhthym. We all have an internal clock that determines how we tick throughout the day. For what it's worth, I believe in siesta legislation :) I think the world would be a better place if everybody took a nap mat to work with them and took a ten minute cat nap each day :) And eat some nilla wafers while we're at it :)
Anywho.
Last January I started getting up at 5:30 AM. My most productive hours are before 9 AM. That's when I do my best thinking, writing, and praying.
I had a father-in-law who got up before the roosters :) And I saw the way it helped him keep his spiritual edge. So I wanted to emulate that. I also see references to Jesus getting up while it was still dark. I think it was a pattern in his life.
Having said that let me say this. I think there are larks and owls. There are "morning people" and "nocturnal types." I think we've all got to find a ryhthym that works for us.
I've also discovered that I need to mix it up every once in a while. That's what I'm doing right now. I've felt really exhausted at the end of the day lately. And I have almost no creative energy in the afternoons :) So I've switched things up from Thanksgiving till the New Year. It's hard to get up super early when the days are shorter and the weather is colder. So I'm sleeping in a little later these days. I'll go back to 5:30 AM in January, but my work day doesn't get started until 7 or 8 AM these days.
So why post about sleep patterns?
Because rythym is huge! One of the ten commandments is about resting on the seventh day. We've got to find a ryhthym between work and play. We've got to make sure we're re-creating. In fact, re-creation is the key to creation. I don't know that I've ever thought about sleep stewardship :) But we've got to live somewhere in between sleep deprivation and laziness :) We've got to push ourselves and take care of ourselves.
I'm not sure whether you're a lark or an owl, but here's a thought. If you're pursuing your God-given passions you'll have down days like everybody else. But most days that God-given passion will get you up early and keep you up late :)
Nothing is as deenergizing as sin--living outside the will of God. And nothing is as energizing as pursuing a God-given passion--living inside the will of God.
Isn't that what Jesus said in John 4? His "food" was doing the will of the Father. Pursuing a God-given passion has caloric value!
7 Comments:
Mark,
Great thoughts...been struggling a bit lately with the whole sleep thing. I appreciate your thoughts about living between sleep deprivation and laziness...
Sin as deenergizing? So true.
Huge difference between the tired we feel when we are toiling at things other than God-given passions than when we are working on those passions. It truly will get you up early and keep you up late. That is a good tired.
Wow, I am the exact opposite. My most productive time is in the evening/late night. I have never been able to do school work, work out, or function too well in those early hours (unless I haven't gone to bed yet!).
I am sure everyone was dying to know about my sleeping habits. :)
i'm with kyle - late nite tends to carry the sense (albeit likely a false sense) that there's more time. if i wait til morning, there's always that 9am looming ahead.
my big thing about this post is the keying in on the word "pursuit" that you did - that word has been riding me really hard lately (thus the name of my own blog) - and you struck some of the chords i've been hearing a lot lately. this was refreshing to read.
PM - I love that your post says your work day doesn't get started until 7 or 8 am these days, but blogger says you posted this at 6:13am ;)
Funny Erin :) I'm busted :)
Pastor Mark
Interesting timing of this post. No pun intended. Lately I've been remembering a sermon of yours from last January (I think) where you mentioned you were changing your routine. ...yeah, it's definitely been on my mind lately, so thanks!
Great thoughts, thanks Mark. I appreciate your insight and wisdom...
Post a Comment
<< Home