Early Morning

As part of my obsessive-compulsive behavior during this fitness challenge, I was up at 445 this morning to run a killer hill (twice!) before a killer strength/cardio class at 600. That's not really my point. The point is that it was so quiet at that time of morning - dark, cool, and even the highway wasn't bustling with trucks yet (as it usually is by about 530!). I left my house at 500, enjoying the silence of the morning, sputtered up and down the hill (and up again) and chugged along to the gym.

Later in the day, as part of a study I am doing, I was reading Mark and specifically the verse when Jesus awoke in the early morning to pray in a solitary place. That really struck me today. I've heard about people who get up at 300 or 400 in the morning to have their solitary God time, and what a fantastic time it would be, with the air still and quiet. Trying to "get in" God time later in the day with hustle and bustle everywhere just doesn't seem to work - it doesn't allow us to really listen to what He has to say.

I am lucky to be a morning person, and I wonder if I should use that gift to do something more productive with my time that try to burn calories so that I can lose another pound that I don't really need to lose. I will still enjoy my morning workouts, but if I'm going to be up at 500, why not use that quiet time to do some REAL good in this world?