Dear friends
Do you ever ‘get up on the wrong side of the bed’? Or is to just me who, when something gets in the way of my well-honed morning routine, struggles not to be Mr Grumpy for the rest of the day. I found myself wondering at the origins of this often-used idiom recently. Most seem to attribute it to the Romans, and their dislike of the left side. The Latin word for ‘left’, sinister, took on meanings of unlucky or perverse. Apparently, some Roman nobles would have a servant on their doorway ensuring no-one entered their property left foot first. So, it’s not a stretch to assume they would have avoided getting up from the left side of a bed.
I don’t believe in this left-prejudiced superstition, but I do agree that good morning habits can set us up for a good day. The Apostle Paul, an early Christian teacher, wrote about living a life of love, following Jesus Christ, as though it were a matter of dressing ourselves with the good character traits like the correct clothes each morning. These ‘clothes’ are those Christians have been given by Jesus, through his death and resurrection for us. We learn how to choose to put them on by developing a relationship with Jesus, meeting him in the Bible and prayer.
I think it works on a week-by-week basis too. Starting the week the best way should help us make good choices as we head through the week. For me, this means spending Sunday morning (the first day of the week in the Bible) in church, hearing from Jesus and praying alongside others. If I must miss it one Sunday, it feels like a week’s worth of getting up on the wrong side of the bed.
If you’re not used to making church the start of the week habit for you and your family, would you be up for trying it out? There are the current 10:30am services you can find details of here in this magazine, where everyone is warmly welcome. Or, if you fancy being part of something completely new, we’re starting Wake Up! 9:15–10am on Sunday 2 June at St Mary’s Bures.
Thanks for reading.
Daniel
