Take Advantage

I love when I wake up early, full of energy, and get to spend that unexpected and unscheduled time with God. For those of you who know just how much I love sleeping, this probably sounds completely out of character - and generally, you would be right. This morning, however,  it's how I feel.

I went to bed late last night, and then I woke up much earlier than usual this morning, unable to go back to sleep for those last couple of hours. Surprisingly, I didn't mind. Instead of fighting to go back to sleep, annoyed that I wouldn't get my full 8 hours, I found myself full of things to talk about with God and full of energy so that I could get up and start the day. The house was quiet, my earlier-than-scheduled walk to campus was virtually empty of people. I felt like it was just me and God.

By the time I got to my campus office, two hours earlier than I had planned when I set my alarm last night, I had gotten up, gotten dressed, gotten ready for work, done my devotions, and spent some serious time in prayer and it was only 7 am.

Often, having fibromyalgia means dragging myself out of bed after at least 8 hours of sleep - preferably more. But, sometimes, the sleeplessness that comes with my disease means a day of wakefulness that starts early, giving me the opportunity to carve out a larger chunk of time for God and still check things off my to do list.

Having fibromyalgia means taking advantage of the opportunities God blesses me with whenever possible. It means finding the silver lining in only 5 hours of sleep, using it for worship and good work, rather than wasting it trying to will myself back to sleep.

Are you taking advantages of the unexpected opportunities God is giving you to connect with him?

Today's Verse
Psalm 5:3
In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.