I figured out my summer-writing problem this morning.

It's not earth shattering, but it's the truth.

During the school year, I get up an hour and half before I go to work so that I can have my quiet time.  I love to have time to read and pray and just listen to what God is saying through what I've read.

In the summer, I sleep in a little later and have a much shorter quiet time.

Why?

Because I look at the clock and think, "It's already 8 or 9!  I have so much I want to do today!"

Am I proud of this reality?  No.

Am I being the person I want to be?  No.

Not that I need to blog in order to be close to God, but I do need more time with Him.

In the summer, I try to keep up with my daily Bible reading, but I have prayer-on-the-go.

I realized this morning that I cannot spend my summer like this.

Right this minute I have a friend waiting on her deck to have coffee with me.

She's waiting patiently, and she knows I'm coming soon.

But what if I never showed up?

What if I just left her waiting?  And what if I started doing this every time we planned a morning visit?

Would our relationship grow or would we begin to drift apart?

I know the answer.

And that's why this morning I am saying out loud, "God is worth getting up early every single morning of my life."

He is my everything.

He is my strength, my best friend, my world.

He deserves more than I have given Him in the past few weeks, and even though I have talked with Him in snippets and carried Him with me everywhere I go, I haven't sat with Him long enough for Him to say a word to me.

Nope.

It's been all about me, and I can't live like that again.

He's done too much for me.  He's walked too faithfully with me.

So, today is the day when I commit to digging in deeper and listening more closely.

He longs to speak to me, and He longs to speak to you.

I'm challenging you this morning to sit down everyday and spend some time with Him who loves you most.

You'll never regret it.

Ever.

He is waiting patiently for you and for me.

Now that makes me smile.