30 Day Shred - Day 17

Ah, friends, you just won't believe the dilemma I have had over the past 24 hours. Wednesday, as you know, we have our small group meet in our home. Thursday has always been, for years now, a difficult morning to get up and moving. To sound profound, my teaching is pouring out everything in me that I've studied for the week in an attempt to bless and encourage the people of God who come to receive. That is true, but it's also that we are a family of six with four kids and after our small group meets there is still the homework check, baths and showers, kids to bed routine that makes for an exhausting evening at times. Don't get me wrong; wouldn't change a thing. Just preparing you for my line of thinking this morning. Early morning...

Something wakes me up this morning. Thinking it was my alarm, I jump out of bed, less than eager to go meet with my girl Jillian. I'm sad to say I skipped yesterday. I was hoping for a County school opening delay and didn't get one. I think I had wrapped my brain around getting one and when I didn't, I just couldn't make myself get up at 5:30am. Anyway, this morning I jump out of bed, determined to get back on track. I go to the bathroom, change into my workout clothes, sit on the side of the tub and go to turn on the shower. Um. half asleep maybe? I shake my disorientation off and say to myself, remember you are going to work out silly. I head down to see Jillian. I'm sure she's eagerly waiting on me.

I set up my yoga mat, pull out my weights, turn on the DVD, I'm thinking how unbelievably tired I am, and how it sure feels like I just went to sleep, and just as Jillian is saying good morning I glance at the clock. 12:19. As in nineteen minutes after midnight. Friends, it's midnight. I am standing in my basement ready to work out with Jillian and it's midnight. Shaking my head literally, I think that clock must be busted. I walk over to The Hub's laptop and shake it awake to find that lo and behold, it's midnight. I'm torn between feeling sick to my stomach with pure fatigue and confusion as to why in the world I would have done this. The brain is a tricky thing.

This is a story for my brother in law, otherwise known as Cute Husband. He loves my other story of the time I got up for work at 2:00am making it all the way through a shower and getting dressed. It wasn't until I was doing my hair that I realized the time. Do you think maybe the body sometimes runs on autopilot and the configurations got jacked up?

I crawled back to bed, just incredulous that I had wasted precious sleep time. Amazed that I woke all the way up and actually thought it was time to get up. What woke me up? Not my alarm obviously. No one texted me, phone wasn't ringing. Just plain odd, friends. Even odder that I followed through with the confused state of mind all the way down to the dark, cold basement. I mean, clearly not sleepwalking. Just a little less than sharp, apparently.

As I climb back in that warm bed, workout clothes, including shoes, are still on. After all that there was no way I was changing back into pajamas. I'm praying The Hub doesn't become alert to my fiasco. Sure enough, in classic The Hub fashion, just as I settle into my pillow and relax, take a deep breath in...The Hub says "what in the world are you doing." I try to keep my composure and tell him about my adventure and when he asks what time it really is, I can feel him shaking his head.

Friends, what a morning. I did awake at 5:30am for real and did go and meet Jillian. It was tough, but I did it. Last night at our small group we talked about the first chapter of the book of Hebrews. The whole first chapter discusses the difference between Jesus and the angels. Both important but not equally so. Now I know an angel was watching over me last night to make sure I didn't hit my half-awake head as I stumbled about at midnight (!), but I also know that it was Jesus that let me go back to sleep, soundly for the remainder of the night. Thank God for that.