“I do it to myself,” she said. “I schedule my days so full that I run from one thing to the next, then I can’t find time to spend with God.” My friend lamented her loss of morning devotional time that she once prioritized but is no longer a part of her daily rhythm. There is a familiar fatigue in her voice, a surrender to the pull toward “more” - more good things like work, exercise and time with friends - and a knowing that she will not change it anytime soon. 

I empathize as I listen. I know that pull all too well. But I also wondered what God would say about our pedestaling of morning devotions, the belief we have that spending time with God in a certain way at a certain time of the day will change our days. As I wander my own windy path of faith, I have a growing sense that God is not a “morning God,” as we would say that someone who wakes early with energy is a “morning person,” I just cannot believe in a boxed-in God, waiting for us to change our schedules and wake up to an alarm to show up in our lives. God is waiting for us, seeking us and nudging us in every moment of the day, no matter what choices we have made about how to spend our time.  

When we feel far from God, it may not be because of what we are or are not doing. The spiritual life is one of integration and alignment, the stuff of the heart and soul. Sure, our calendars reflect what is most important to us and scheduling “time with God” is a way we can prioritize this most important relationship. It may even make our days better. 

But can’t my busy friend align her life, filled with good things, with God too? I believe she can because I see that she does. We are a seasonal species. We were not made to have the same rhythms every day, season, or decade. This is the way we are created to move through this life. God is waiting for our attention in and through it all.