Get up…NOW! A lesson from my dad.

I haven’t always thought this way, but these days, my morning mindset is simple: if the Lord woke me up today, there must be work to do, so I might as well get to it! This wasn’t always my default, but it has been for some time now. Honestly, at this point in life it’s been decades since I struggled to get out of bed in the morning. I used to explain to people that I had a “10-second rule”. That meant once my alarm went off, I had 10 seconds or less to get out of bed. I implemented this rule years ago, and during that time, I also started asking myself, “What’s good today?” as my first thought. Now, it’s automatic. I don’t think about it. My alarm goes off and then I am standing up and walking out of the room. I still sometimes struggle to get going once I’m up, but the simple act of throwing off the covers and getting out of bed just happens. And I owe this to my dad.

Let me tell you the quick and PG-version of the story that shapes the first action of my days. It was a day when there was no school – I can’t remember if it was a weekend or summer, but it doesn’t matter. It was a workday. And not just any workday – we were going to be on horseback for hours, moving cattle from one pasture to another. You see, I spent most of my childhood growing up on a ranch, and my parents worked for the folks who owned it. So, when I wasn’t in school, but was too young to get a job on my own, I helped them out. I was 12 or 13 at the time, and I wasn’t particularly fond of ranch life back then. Now, though, I miss and appreciate it more than I care to admit. But back to that workday: I was going to be on horseback for most of the day, and let me tell you, that never sat well with me (pun intended). I had been warned about this workday well in advance. The night before, my dad reminded me that we would be leaving the barn by 8 a.m. Not super early, but early enough to know I wouldn’t be awake without assistance.

Now, fast forward to the morning of this particular workday. I suddenly heard the front door of the house close and I opened my eyes – 7:58 a.m. My first thought was something like, “This is going to suck real bad.” I could hear my dad’s boots hitting the floor at a pace that was much more brisk than normal. I scrambled to get my jeans on as he threw open the door. No “good morning,” no pleasantries – just a look of anger and a question about why I wasn’t ready. As teenagers often do, I blurted out something without thinking: “No one woke me up”, I foolishly said. It probably came out with a little teenage attitude. Now while I still say and do stupid things on occasion, this statement and my attempt to scapegoat was really stupid, and I am lucky to be alive. However, as often happens when we say or do stupid things we learn a lesson.

The biggest lesson in the moment consisted of something to the effect of my dad explaining that I was given an alarm clock for times such as this when I needed to get myself up. It turns out that this lesson was actually vital to my survival, at least that’s the way it seemed based on my dad’s reaction. As I think about the specifics of this moment, I smile a little as I spare you from the full details. One thing I want to point out before we get to the real lessons learned is that I am thankful and appreciative of and for my dad, my ol’ man. Although not pleasant in the moment, what he taught me that day has stayed with me for three decades.

So, what did he teach me that day? He taught me that fear can be a great motivator, especially in one’s teenage years. But the bigger lessons are three-fold, although they didn’t really hit until years down the road. Initially, I just did it – got out of bed – because I was scared to get into trouble again. But as time went on, I learned that he taught me a few things of much greater value.

First, he taught me that work is important and good. It wasn’t just that we needed to go do something transactional. Instead, we needed to do something of value – get cattle to fresh pasture so they could eat – and I just couldn’t clearly see that. Since then, I have learned a lot about work and its value. Work has value for you as the worker and for those you are working for and with. Additionally, I have recently started to understand the goodness of work and how it was part of God’s plan even before the Fall of man.

Second, he taught me about personal responsibility. Why did I need him or mom to wake me up? I didn’t! And this is true in so many other areas of life. The basis of this is something to the effect of don’t just say something, do something. Take personal responsibility, own the results, and strive to get better every day. Don’t infantilize yourself by expecting others to do for you, what you can do yourself.

Finally, he helped me to realize that even on the days I don’t want to do the tasks before me, I still need to understand that I have been blessed to simply wake up. Not only that, but if I have been blessed with another day, I should do something and do it in a way that honors God.

At the end of the day, I don’t need or necessarily want you to take on my mindset about this daily act of getting out of bed (although you’d be way cooler if you did). What I want is for you to think about how you can tackle whatever it is you struggle with. The commitment and discipline to overcome these struggles leads to your self-improvement. It all starts with you having a strong conviction regarding what you want to do, and then consistently following through. Over time, it becomes less about “I have to do this” and more just habit. And eventually, it just becomes who you are. When you get to that point, you have more to give, which can be used to help others grow.

So wake up, and do the work, because it’s good!