GET UP

5:00am…5:30am…6:00am…6:30am…

Before you know it, almost two hours have passed since I’ve actually been awake but still lying in bed. Have you done this before?  I won’t even try to count the number of times that I have done this because it’s simply…embarrassing…lol!!! If you’re anything like me, the snooze button on my alarm clock gets plenty of time to shine every morning. Why?  Just because getting up seems sooooo inconvenient for several reasons.

Sometimes, my bed is warm, I’m positioned just right, just a liiitlle more sleep would make allll the difference, or I can still make it to where I need to be and do what I need to do! So I think…

I realized the other morning that my struggle to get up was not just “normal”.  It was more of a delay. A delay in starting my day, a delay in getting ahead of the game in terms of my goals for that day, and simply put, a loss of…time.  But the most interesting part that I really took a mental note of, was the fact that once I actually got up, I was ready to conquer the world! Whatever that meant…lol! But seriously, I was unstoppable once my feet hit the floor and I started to move around.  Within a couple of hours, I’d accomplished a lot, but I started to think to myself… “Whyyyy did I struggle so much to actually get up? That’s all I had to do! I was already awake!” I had been on my phone looking at several people whose day was already started, but yet I laid there still and…comfortable.

This may not mean a lot to someone else, but what it taught me this particular morning, is that I have to fight the urge to stay comfortable.  I mean, whether it was the nice temperature in my room or the perfect position I was lying in, all I had to do was just get…up!  Once I was up, I felt like a new person! I again, asked myself: “Why did I just lie there soooooooo long?”

I then began to apply that question to many areas of my life: socially, emotionally, relationally, financially, mentally, and spiritually.

And just like I’ve already stated, I answered myself.

“Because I was comfortable.”

Comfort can be good and bad. Good for an elderly or sick person who needs it daily to survive or maintain.  Good for your out-of-whack spine or bad back all together.  Good for your mental state when you have to prepare for something. Good when you just want to relax and not think or the exact oppopsite, when you need to think.

But…comfort can work against you, when you need to move. 

Sometimes that move can mental, spiritual, emotional, or physical.  Just as comfort can be a friend and lifesaver, it can also be a hinderance and become life support.

I’ve found that when I just get up and move, my mental clarity sharpens and my decisions are made with wisdom.  My day flows better…I’m productive…I get direction and understanding of what I need to do even in the days ahead.  I strategize…I plan…I have a healthy perspective on even the not so good situations!  All because, that’s right…I got up!

What is your comfort? What is keeping you in one spot?  What's causing you to look at where you need to go and say, “Not right now…I like where I am.”  What if your next move could actually afford you the comfort that you dream of?  What if your next move could cause you to get over some mental trauma that seems to have you captive? What if…your whole life shifts for the better?

Staying comfortable can delay your freedom.

I noticed that when I didn’t get up when I should’ve, it caused a domino effect in my day. Some things that should’ve gotten done, didn’t. My decisions weren't sound. I majored on minor things and dismissed what was important.

In the words of one my favorite duos by the name of Mary Mary, let these lyrics sink in:

“Get up, don’t sit there! Get up, if you wanna get there!”

“Clocks don’t stop, and time won’t wait.”

There’s nothing like feeling the effects of the time you’ve wasted and what you lost because of it. How do I know?  I’ve been there.

Good news though! There’s something called restoration and redemption. You may have lost some time, but you still have some left!

I’m encouraging you today…and in the days to come, to ask yourself, "How much is my comfort, costing me?" If the price tag isn't worth the product, you already know what my advice is…

GET. UP.

You can experience real comfort once you give up the counterfeit version.  That one spot in your bed can’t compare to the peace of mind waiting on you for the rest of your life.

No matter how it inconveniences the present you, think of the future you and start preparing for that person. Come on…get…UP!

You’ve got this…I’m excited for you! Let’s make temporary uncomfort, contagious.

I’m rooting for you! Let’s goooooo!!!!