Around November, I got tired of responding to how things were by saying, “It’s crazy around here, as usual.” I wonder sometimes how much of my hectic lifestyle is self-created. What if I had said no to that volunteer opportunity when my schedule was already jam-packed? What if I had gone to bed a few hours earlier instead of burning the midnight oil? What if I committed to praying each and every morning no matter how busy my schedule was? It seems as soon as things get hectic, regular prayer goes out the door.

Yes, I take time at the beginning and end of each day to briefly thank God for all his blessings and petition for our needs and the needs of others, but what difference would it make if I scheduled half an hour each morning to read my Bible and focus solely on God instead of the laundry that needs to be done, the errands that must be run, and writing? I’m the type of person who needs a schedule to keep me focused, so why haven’t I considered adding devotional time to my day? Why have I allowed myself to become a slave to self-created chaos?

In my bedroom closet, I have a poster that I haven’t referred to in years. It is of a peaceful beach scene in warm colors that includes the following poem:

The Difference by Grace L. Naessens

I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish, I didn’t have time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me and grew heavier with each task;
Why doesn’t God help me, I wondered; He answered, “You didn’t ask.”

I wanted to see joy and beauty, but the day toiled on, gray and bleak;
I wondered why God didn’t show me – He said, “But you didn’t seek.”

I tried to come into God’s presence; I used all my keys at the lock;
God gently and lovingly chided, “My child, you didn’t knock.”

I woke up early this morning and paused before entering the day;
I had so much to accomplish that I had to take time to pray.

A new year is a perfect time to make the commitment to daily devotional time. Before I dig deep into my day, I shall sit with my Bible and a cup of tea, freeing my heart, soul, and mind of the minutia of daily life, and choose to focus my attention where it truly belongs–on my heavenly Father.