Jill vs. the alarm clock

Just ask my Mom, or Jill Hensiak. Getting up in the morning has been an eternal struggle in the life of Jill. Mornings are not my forte, and alarm clocks are not my friend. Which, in turn, has most likely produced my caffeine dependency. It has also produced a lot of excuses.

Yesterday I finally got up early enough to plop on my couch and read my Bible. I was lead to Mark 4:3-8, "Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times."

Smack! God has hit me with conviction. What am I doing to till good soil in my heart for the Word to land on? Am I giving it room to grow, setting aside significant time in my day so it can take deep root? Is the first real thought of my day how much I hate my alarm clock or how big God is? I've been thinking about those verses since yesterday morning, and God has taught me that I need to start my day with him - not out of ritual or because it's what "good Christians" do, but because I need to give him time, I need to give him good soil. His word needs to define my day.