I’m having a love/hate relationship with early mornings. I love them. I hate them. It’s a true love-hate relationship. I love getting up early and getting things done early. I love being tired when the sun goes down.

Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

Late to bed, early to rise makes a man sick, broke and stupid.

I love getting up early. I hate waking up before my alarm, before the coffee by the bed starts brewing, because my head is aching so much I can’t sleep.

That was this morning. At least my aching head allowed me to sleep until 5.  By 20 minutes after 5, I was propped in bed reading (and listening) to my daily Bible reading and sipping my first sips of the sweet nectar of the gods.  McDonald’s is offering a free small coffee during breakfast hours this week, so by 20 minutes after 7, I was in the drive-thru lane, debating buying a full breakfast.

But remembering my headache and the gastronomical effects I suffer when I don’t follow my “diet”, I decided to just forgo the whole breakfast and get the free coffee.

While on my way to the free coffee I stopped at an unmarked intersection. The car in front of me proceeded through, the car on the left of me waited. I thought it only nice that I wait for them since they were there before me. I felt good. I felt empowered. I had done something nice. I had thought of someone before myself. I waited.

And then I got a little testy when the car that was just arriving behind him went on through the intersection without waiting for me.

I was there first! By right it was my turn.

As I’m getting testy, I feel the Lord speaking,  “Really? Are you really doing this? What about denying yourself? So what if they went through ahead of you.”

“But Lord, it was MY turn.”

“Who cares?!”

“But Lord, my head!”

“I know. But you’ll still get there. The coffee will still be hot.”

“But, but, but…”

Then I realized just how weird it all was. I was upset because I thought of someone else and no one thought of poor little me…

except me.

I was choosing a pity party over the abundant joy Jesus promises.

How crazy stupid is that? Even I can see the craziness of it all with a screaming headache. Who needs that lunacy? Who has time to waste on that?

For sure I don’t.

I’m choosing joy!

 

(For those wanting an update on the house situation, we have a key but not enough keys. Our realtor is working hard to make it all happen for us. Joy! Interestingly, our realtor’s name is John and my not-so-smart-phone changes his name to Jihadist every. single.time.)

You know, God really does work. He does. Even in things we think are funny. Mr. FullCup received an interesting (to him) phone call this morning.
“A little birdie told me your wife wants some sheet rock.”
I’m sure Mr. FullCup was dumbfounded. He knows me and my crazy ways, but this was news to him.  This person had heard I was looking for sheetrock (aka drywall) and he just happened to have a 1/2″ sheet of 4×8 that we could have.

Merry Christmas to me!