Are you a Lark or an Owl? Typically a Lark is someone who goes to bed early and gets up early kind of like the early bird catches the worm concept. Whereas an Owl likes to stay up late (watching Letterman or something) and sleep in late. I wonder what they call someone who stays up late but gets up early? One commentator actually calls this type of person a Hummingbird (check out Body Clock Guide http://www.nasw.org/users/llamberg/larkowl.htm). Go figure.  

Anyway, Ken and I are Larks in large part due to our dachshunds. Yes, once again our dogs dictate our rising and sleeping routines although I suspect we've always been Larks even before Ramona and Obie. We have several early morning routines that are part of our 'doxie rituals'. We don't need to invest in an alarm clock because they wake us up between 4:30am and 5am on the dot. They even know when it's a daylight savings time shift - amazing. Once they go outside to do their duties and have their early morning breakfast, Ramona comes in and waits for Ken to pick her up and wind her up. Yes, he winds her up like a wind-up toy of old. He cradles her in his arm and rubs her neck clockwise several times. It sort of looks like someone rubbing a magic lamp hoping the genie comes out of the bottle. And Ramona does indeed explode out of the bottle. When Ken finishes and places her on the ground she runs like a crazed animal throughout the house several times. We all just sit back and watch the mayhem. Obie tries to stay small so she doesn't run into him. We call it her "DJ Craze" moment (after a NASCAR commercial of course). Once her wind-up runs out, she jumps on the couch with me and passes out for about an hour while Ken and I sip our coffee and discuss the day's activities and current events. I often use the quiet time to read my Daily Bread devotional.  

So how does this relate to theology? In the Old Testament, the Psalms reflect on early rising to mediate on God's promises (Psalm 119:148). In the New Testament, we read a variety of verses on Jesus getting up early to go pray or go to the temple (Mark 1:35 & John 8:2). Even on the third day the women got up early to go to the tomb where Christ was buried and found Him gone - He is Risen! (Luke 24:1). I love the early morning. For me, it's a way of taking a deep breath and embracing the day for what God has in store for me. A way to charge up my battery like Ramona and her wind-up routine. Sometimes I wish I had as much energy as she has but I am a wee bit older than she is...ah youth! It's ironic on weekends when I should be able to sleep in, I can't. I may have had a very exhausting week but I still cannot sleep in. I believe that God wants me to seize the day. Learn something new. Appreciate the beauty of His creation.  

So whether you are a Lark or an Owl or a Hummingbird, I hope you can embrace what God wants to show you each and every day. Find that one new thing that you didn't know before or just rest in Him. He will give you a new song to sing in the morning. Psalm 40:30 says, "He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what He has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the LORD."

God Bless,