I have to learn to not make important decisions after 10 p.m. unless absolutely necessary. Late one night last week, I saw an e-mail I thought was from a vendor I use and so I accessed their website. The next morning, I realized I had fallen for a scam and that the site had accessed information on my computer that could cause serious problems for me.
I woke suddenly at 5 a.m. Saturday with the certainty that I had a PDF file on my computer with my bank account number in it. I spent Saturday morning closing my bank account and opening a new one. Then I lodged a security warning with one of the credit bureaus that was copied to the others. With much less sleep than I needed and the emotional energy spent with my banker, I was exhausted by noon. All the things I had planned to catch up on Saturday at home were shoved aside. They are all important but will have to wait until next weekend again.
I am most frustrated that I forgot again that I don’t think things through when I’m tired. The signs that the e-mail was not legitimate were there and if I had waited until morning, I think I would have realized what was going on. I am a morning person. As long as I get adequate sleep, I wake up ready to go and do and conquer my world. I think much more clearly and faster than at night. Dark-thirty is when my mind and body slow down and get ready to rest. Morning light invigorates me and gets me going, especially bright sunshine. I get more done faster and better in the morning than I do at night. It’s almost as if time slows down for me in the morning light.
I’m praying that I don’t forget this wisdom about myself again. I don’t need the aggravation and theft of time and energy that bad late-night decisions can bring. What I am grateful for is that I believe the Holy Spirit warned me in time to head off potential problems. God is faithful to me even when I make mistakes. As my pastor said this weekend, I can’t thwart God’s plan for me. I’m not powerful enough. I thank God He is large and in charge and He will make sure I get to the destination He created me to reach.