WAKE UP!

It was 5:00 a.m.

She hated being woken up before her alarm was scheduled to sound; but on this morning nothing had happened to cause her to awaken early - no loud clap of thunder, no big bang, no children standing over her, nothing... So why was she awake? No, not only awake... WIDE awake.

After several unsuccessful minutes of lying completely still, surrounded by total darkness, listening to the silence in a desperate attempt to recapture that extra hour and a half of treasured sleep, she popped one eye open to glance around the room, catching a glimpse of the expensive clothes hanger in the middle of the bedroom floor, and that's when she heard it...

Listening to her hearts desire - the conversations of her mind when she had those precious few moments alone. The ones where her secret wishes to make a change would come to the forefront, but she didn't know how or when she would find the time to do what she knew needed to be done.

God's whisper.

He had woken her up early enough to get up and exercise before beginning her day.

"Okay, God." She silently argued, "I hear you; but why, oh why would you get me up at 5:00?"

"That's too early and I'm still really tired. How about I make you a deal?" She pleaded, "You let me go back to sleep this morning and try again in a couple of days - but how about we make it 5:30 next time, m'kay?" And she rolled back over, fluffing her pillow a few times and finally drifted back off to sleep.

Several weeks have passed since that original conversation with Him and she still had not gotten up any earlier in an attempt to get that morning workout in; BUT, she did recently join a gym with complete resolve to make herself attend at least three times a week.

Fast forward to yesterday morning, when the puppy woke her up at 4:30 a.m. to go outside.

If that's not something you're familiar with, let me just tell ya: standing outside in 40 degree temperatures ,while you wait for a puppy to piddle, is a sure fired way to get your blood pumpin in the morning and make it extremely difficult to settle back in for a few more hours of sleep - but somehow she managed.

I was telling a friend at work about my conversation with God the other morning, when he got me up at 5:00, and how I had made a deal with Him to try back in a few more days. So, when I told her of this morning's pre-dawn activities she so kindly reminded me of the deal I had made just the other day - stating that I had PROMISED Him I would make an attempt to get up and exercise.

"Yes, that's true," I admitted. "I did say I would get up and exercise the next time He got me up early, but I distinctly recall telling Him 5:30."

Well, NEVER say that God doesn't listen because this morning - despite the fact that I have been going to the gym and working out all week long, including last night which is why I was so wired I didn't get to sleep until well after midnight - He again had the puppy wake me up early.

And while it was 5:00 when I got up to let her outside, guess what time it was when I came back in....

Yep, you got it! It was 5:30 a.m. (almost on the dot).

I had no excuses left. That was the deal I had made, I was wide awake and although I could almost hear the comfort of my warm and cozy bed calling to me, I had no choice; I had to get my butt up on the elliptical and work out.

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Huh? What? Who's there??

Oh, so sorry about that...that was my face hitting the keyboard as I fell asleep telling this story.