Why You Should Wake Up Every Morning

You ever have those moments, or days, when you just stop and wonder “why?”

I don’t mean to speak here of some grand philosophical truth about origins, the purpose of human existence, or other things—although all of that is related. I am talking about you personally. What is your purpose? Why do you do the things that you do?

For most people, I am sure that the answers to these questions come down to some kind of “ought”, as in “I do what I do because that is what I have to do”. But that is not really all that satisfying. At least, depending upon where the ought comes from. If the ought comes from just some other person, or group of people, then that is quite a burden being placed upon your shoulders. At least, this is how you would be inclined to think if you were a selfish person. But maybe you are a selfish person, and so let’s explore that for a little bit.

Every day, you wake up. I’m not sure what comes next, but at some point you’re probably going to get up from your slightly horizontal position, you’ll do something to your body to make it somewhat presentable to “respectable” human society, and then you’ll go out and do a bunch of things. Maybe you enjoy some of those things, but maybe some of them you don’t. Maybe the majority of these things that you do you don’t necessarily enjoy. But it never ends! Life just keeps dragging on, and on, and on. Every day, you wake up. And you go and do a bunch of stuff, and for why? Because you have to, and you have to because other people tell you to. Like I said, what a burden this is. An entire life lived just because of the demands of other people. And what do you get out of it?

Remember that I said this was a selfish way of thinking. I am not at all saying that this is an attitude to be respected or looked up to! But maybe you’ve indulged yourself, and you’ve given in to this way of thinking. How does it feel? Probably it feels dreadfully monotonous.

Some of you won’t engage the thought for very long. After all, your dad never seemed to stop and consider such things, because he had a family to take care of. Perhaps you, yourself, have a family to take care of and so you say, “whatever, I gotta do what I gotta do”.

“Now hold on just a second!”, you say, “I love my family! I love those around me, and I will continue to live day after day just for them!”

This attitude is better, undoubtedly less selfish, however still incomplete.

This attitude may be selfless, but it is still picturing a life lived completely for the needs of other people. And these other people are ultimately sinners. Not good. Evil, even. And so why do you do what you do? To serve that which is corrupt?

“Wait a minute!”, comes the cry, “These are the people that I love, how can you call them evil?”

Put simply, they have sinned against the Holy God, who is the Creator of all things, righteous and holy is His name. And if you serve sinners, what does that make you? A sinner yourself. And now tell me, “why?” Why do you do all that you do? You’re a sinful person, living a sinful life for sinful people. If you had any due sense of what was good for you, you’d just stop it all right now.

And yet, you don’t.

You keep going, we all keep going. Should we?

Yes, we should.

Why? After such a bleak and miserable picture of life was painted, why should we live it? Why should we do what we do? Why should we wake up in the morning?

Well, because God woke up in the morning.

I realize that that is a strange sentence, but it is true. God did wake up in the morning because God became a man in the Person of Jesus of Nazareth, living a human life much like our own (except for sin). That God did this is the fundamental proof that human life is valuable, and important. Even the day to day, waking up every morning. God did that, too. And why did He do it?

To serve.

First and foremost, to do the will of His Father who had sent Him. There was obligation set before Him, He was to fulfill His part of the covenant. Of course, at every single moment He is self-giving, doing this because He wants to, and not merely out of obligation (although the obligatory aspect cannot be neglected). But also, He did this to serve sinners. Yes, we spoke about the bleakness of this earlier, but Jesus’ service to sinners is entirely different. For He is not serving sinners as a sinner for the purpose of perpetuating a sinful life. He served sinners to change them. To redeem them so that they are no longer sinners, but holy. He accomplished this in an ultimate way, giving His own life upon a dreadful cross.

But He didn’t stay on the cross. He rose again on the third day, and ascended to the right hand of His Father where He ever lives to make intercession for His people.

And so, why should you wake up in the morning? To imitate Jesus. Ultimately, what answers those “why” questions, giving meaning and purpose to life, is that we are to live because we are to please God. Therefore, wake up every morning, loving God and desiring with all of your heart to worship and serve Him in all that you do. The 5 am stretch as you rise out of bed, the putting the clothes on, and, yes, fulfilling the “oughts” that you have towards others, all of this becomes meaningful because it is done for Him.

Repent of your sin, and believe in Jesus. You shall be made new. You shall have eternal life. You shall be set free from the monotony.