By Doug Creamer, for the SNAP

School is finally out and I find myself in a place of having to catch up.
My first priority is to catch up on sleep. The last couple of weeks of school I was getting about half the sleep I need and drinking plenty of caffeine to make up the difference.

Now, I am off the caffeine and feeling a little more rested. The trouble is as I look around I am noticing a whole lot more that needs some “catching up” around my house.
There is something in every room in the house that needs catching up. I have formulated a plan on how we can whip things back into shape. We are going to start slow and work steady until we conquer the situation. We have been working on some of the things, but there is still plenty more to go.
I am hoping to find some time to work outside, too. In spite of the work that needs to be done, we are enjoying some things from our yard. Every day we walk out to see what daylilies have bloomed. We have quite a collection of daylilies and they have been blooming their heads off. We put in some raised beds last year and planted the lilies that had been living in pots for years. They have grown so much and are really putting on a show.
I have also been enjoying some blueberries and a couple cherry tomatoes…the full size tomatoes won’t be in until mid-July. Mentioning the vegetable garden brings up another area that needs catching up. Vegetables are not the only thing growing in my garden…there are lots of weeds. Most of my regular readers know that I hate weeding, but I do work at it occasionally.
The plan is to get up early one day this week…no, I mean early, before-the-sun-comes-up early. I want to spend a few hours getting the weeds under control and planting some vegetables that haven’t made it to the garden yet. This has been a strange growing season. We had that cold weather so late in the season and then so much rain. Many of my gardening friends tell me that they have been way behind this year. Well, I hope to get things looking better and caught back up in this week.
We have all let some things go for a time just because life has gone crazy. The end of any semester is always a crazy time getting grades finished up. The bigger problem is that sometimes during these crazy times we can sometimes put our spiritual lives on hold, too. Our prayer life diminishes and some people decide to sleep in on Sunday instead of going to church.
These choices can be a slippery slope for our spiritual well-being. I admit that sometimes when I travel my quiet time can be slim. While at the beach, quiet time is awesome. Toward the end of school, I let quiet time slip. My prayers had become, “God, help me make it to the end and bless all the people I should be praying for today.” My quiet time wasn’t that bad, but it was close. I feel the need to catch up with God.
Do you know the best part about catching up with God?
His love covers over the poor choice of not spending more time with Him. He doesn’t even bring it up. His grace flows freely and like best friends, we pick right back up where we left off.
When we purpose to draw close to Him, He always chooses to draw close to us. Much like the prodigal son, He comes running to us.
My spirit is already beginning to feel refreshed and revived, and I haven’t even been to the beach yet. He is waking me up long before morning because He can’t wait to talk with me and I’m loving it. After all, He’s my Father and I’m His son and He loves nothing more than just spending time with me.
I want to encourage you to reconnect with God, especially if you have pulled away. He is a loving Father that deeply desires to spend time with His children. He won’t judge or condemn you, but He will lovingly correct you and help you get back on the right path.
He loves you beyond words and wants to help you find your way home to His heart. There is a peace beyond understanding waiting for anyone who will place their lives in His hands.
I think it is time for all of us to catch up with God.

Doug Creamer writes a column about religion for The Stanly News & Press. Contact him at doug@dougcreamer. com.