College is busy, so so so busy. Sleep is so rare that seven-minute naps in between classes aren't a rare thing to see. In all of the busyness, we become stressed and worried and begin to lose focus of the big picture and everything He's given us that day, or that week. Even in the busiest of times, when you stayed up so late to study for a test the night before or couldn't fall asleep, one of the most important things I've learned in college is that I have to wake up and have time with the Lord before I start my day.

We, as humans, are extremely weak. We become easily annoyed and unloving. We become easily stressed and irritable. We are easily tempted and distracted. We need a foundation to keep us going, to keep us motivated, to keep us headed in the right direction, and to keep reminding us that we have to be a light to others around us. It's no doubt that in college, it's so hard to be constantly gentle and patient and kind and serving and loving and forgiving. It's practically impossible.

Every morning, we need time with the Lord. Before we start our day, before distractions can come, and before temptation sets in. The very first thing we should think of when we wake up is God. As humans, we have to realize that we cannot make it throughout the day without the Lord. He literally carries us through our day and places every good thing we have into our lives. It all comes from Him, and not only do we need our time with Him in order to continue to be a light to others, but we owe Him time. To get up in the morning and not be with the Lord before we start our day is like saying to Him, "I don't need You today. I'm going to get through my day without You." Now we all know that that's physically impossible, so to think we so easily let our quiet times be pushed aside is quite astounding.

Although quiet times at night are great and refreshing, a quiet time in the morning sets the bar. It reminds us before we enter society, the kind of person that we need to be to others. It reminds us of Jesus's sovereignty, His grace, and the undeserved love, mercy, and grace He pours onto us. If we take the time to realize all of these things early in the morning before we begin our day, we'll be automatically more appreciative, more thankful, more positive, more caring, and more driven to be like Him in a tempting and difficult world.

Don't neglect your time with the Lord. At the end of a busy week, you won't be wishing you had the extra hour of sleep every morning, but you'll be wishing you spent quality time with God.