God Isn't Going to Write that Term Paper for You

Man it's funny how that God of ours works sometimes, isn't it? This summer I have become such a morning person. I used to go to bed SO early back in the first semester of school last year. I then got out of the habit and 3am became my new bedtime. My body totally rejected this new routine and wasn't very nice to me, so throughout the summer I've started getting up earlier and 3am turned into midnight or eleven. Slowly but surely, I've gotten back to my normal sleeping hours of passing out around 10pm; thank goodness. What does my bedtime and sleeping schedule have to do with anything? Well I shall tell you why I think it's relevant.

Being the Follower of Christ that I am, I have a devotional book and try my best to stick to it routinely. I was doing so well until I started working practically full time at the Hut and all of a sudden my "I just haven't had time" excuse surfaced. Seriously, Katie...no time for God? Strike one. Axing out your devotionals but still having time to watch lame videos on YouTube? Strike Two. Changing the color of your fingernails every three evenings but not reading your Bible? Strike three. "You're outta there!" No, no...God didn't erase my name out of the Lamb's Book of LIfe or anything, but He did send me a subliminal message...He's so dang good at those..

In comes my sleeping patterns! The more I changed back to my old sleeping habits the more time I found myself with in the mornings. And then it dawned on me! Something I'd heard a while back but had let settle in the depths of my mind. Say I take an hour out of my day to spend with God; reading, studying, praying...imagine the uplifting mood and the amount of blessings He could bestow on my other 23 hours. Now, I'm not saying I bargained with God. I can just imagine: "So, uh, God..let's make a deal. If I spend some time with You every morning, thennnn will You bring everyone in the Charleston area to the Sunglass Hut and buy a pair of Oakleys from me?" Doesn't work that way. It's a matter of trust. You have to trust that He will see the obedience you're showing Him, and the faith you have in Him; therefore, He will take care of you (as always) and see to it you get everything you need to finish in that day completed. This leads to a snowball affect.

If your day immediately begins on the right foot (spending time with Him), you're going to be in a much happier mood, you will become more productive, less stressed, and in the end become a better you. Ding, Ding! We have a winner! Of course, if you're going to sit down and study your Bible for 3 hours thinking God's going to magically write the term paper you've been procrastinating on, it's not going to work like that. God knows the desires of your heart, the reasons behind your doings. You need to want to be with Him, want to read His word, and want to be the obedient Follower of Christ He expects you to be.

So see, my sleeping patterns do matter. And if you think they still don't, just let me think they do. Thanks, I appreciate it. But anywho, simply remember to never make the terrible excuse I did, that "you just don't have time", because you do. Maybe start with a small prayer every morning, and build your time up. He'll understand every step of your way with Him, and help you to become the best Child of God you can be. And remember, it's never too late to start something new; so go for it. Start spending your mornings/afternoons/evenings/nights with Him, see how your days go and how your time pans out. I bet you'll start sleeping a little easier.