There are days when prioritizing time with God is harder than others, especially in this busy season of being full time college students.
If we are being completely honest, classes, studying, work, and all the other things that fill up our planners tend to take over much of our time without giving us much energy to wake up earlier the next day to be still before God. And although none of the things in our schedules are "bad" things, they can become a negative thing when we prioritize them over God.
Unfortunately, many times we have caught ourselves doing that, we have put God, our Bible time, and prayer on the back burner because "we'll find time later." But when we don't, our hearts become worn from different things, like the daily battles we face in our personal lives, the busy schedules we juggle all while trying to be present at home with our family, and thinking about our future.
We aren't always on our A-game and our everyday Bible time looks different, but we've been learning that spending time with the Lord isn't about penciling in time for him. It's about weaving him into our everyday life, during both the madness and the calm.
"Christ says, 'Give me All. I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You." - C. S. Lewis. Time already belongs to God and He doesn't NEED our time, but He does WANT our hearts. And the only way we can offer our hearts is by getting to know him more so we can be transformed more into his likeness.
"Christ says, 'Give me All. I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You." - C. S. Lewis. Time already belongs to God and He doesn't NEED our time, but He does WANT our hearts. And the only way we can offer our hearts is by getting to know him more so we can be transformed more into his likeness.
Psalm 1:1-2 "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night."
These are a few things that have helped us along the way:
- Journal: Journaling a bit at a time throughout the day has allowed us to express our prayers on paper and has really helped initiate conversation with God.
- Rest: This is such a big one for us because who has time to rest? But, we've realized that when we have been studying for too long or we've been working for awhile, we just need to take some alone time to recharge. This is usually a perfect time to grab the Bible and converse with God.
- Memorize verses: We know this may sound like another thing to do, but we promise it's not and it's so worth it. Take some verses that have stood out to you throughout the week and write them on sticky notes. Storing God's word in your heart is so important and beneficial.
- Spend time with people: Spending time with people who also love Jesus is not only a perfect time to catch up, but also to talk about the things God is doing, the struggles we face, and how we can mature in our faith. It's also so helpful when it comes to keeping others/ourselves accountable.
(These are not things we have mastered at all, nor are they substitutes for quality time with the Lord, they're just a few ways that help us stay connected to him and hope it'll be of some encouragement to others too.)
Our mom has always told us this, "You'll always create time for the things you love" and it couldn't be more truer. Let's press on to know God more, even in the midst of life's craziness.
