If you're like me, then you're pushing through your 6th week of college. At this point you've either already had your midterm or you're coming up on it within the next few weeks. Regardless, of whether you're entering into the dreaded week of midterms or you're just entering into a busy season in life, sometimes the hustle and bustle gets in the way. So here are 5 things that help me keep God first when life gets so busy I forget to breathe!
1. Music, Music, Music! (Psalm 104:33)
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Refocusing on God can be a challenge when it feels like the world around you is pulling you in a million different directions. Music for me has always been a way for me to find peace and focus on what matter most, which is my relationship with Jesus. From the moment I became a born again Christian I always found peace and solace within music. Something, about Christian music speaks to me on a personal level. On the rare occasion that I come home somehow the choir at my church always sings the songs that make me feel the most connected to God. It warms my heart to know that God picks out the perfect playlist not only every Sunday in church but also throughout the week as I listen to Christian radio.
2. Start your day the right way! (Psalm 143:8)
Up until recently I had never been one for starting my day with a devotional. If I'm being perfectly honest on most days I am not even fully awake until 10:00 am or so. But, I a few weeks ago I started listening to Christian radio as I was getting ready, and then I started carving out enough time to go through a quick devotion before I started my day. Before I knew it, on the days I didn't have class I was spending almost two hours simply reflecting over my devotional and beginning my day with lots of prayer. I've always heard the phrase, "When I rise give me Jesus" but I had know idea how much I'd agree with that statement until I actually started my day with Jesus. I've found that when I begin my day by focusing on Jesus I can feel Him with me throughout the rest of my day.
3. Keep scripture near you! (2 Timothy 4:17)
This is one of my favorite things to do! I love finding small reminders of the hope that comes with following Jesus throughout the day. In my dorm room I keep a calendar on the wall directly across from my bed, I have made it a habit to write a different Bible verse on the calendar every week. The verse is the first thing I see when I wake up and the last thing I see when I close my eyes. I also keep small bits of scripture in my planner that I carry with me from class to class. Carrying around small bits of scripture makes me feel like I'm carrying around a shield that will protect me from all the struggles I might encounter throughout my day! I also change my iPhone lock screen to different scripture sometimes once a week and sometimes every day! Finding scripture that inspires me helps to keep me motivated even on the bad days.
4. Devotions and Quiet Time! (Psalm 16:11)
I had never heard of quiet time until I went on a summer trip to CentriFuge with my youth group. CentriFuge was a life changing experience for me. Although I had been raised in the church I had never felt the true power and presence of God until I was up on the side of a mountain in South Carolina worshiping with hundreds of other believers. The power of summer camp is amazing but unfortunately I can't spend my entire life on the side of a mountain away from the world and the troubles that come with it. I have found that daily devotions and the quiet time that comes with it are one of many things that bring me close to God. When I am working through a devotional I can feel His presence just as clearly as I could while I was up on the mountain experiencing CentriFuge for the very first time. Psalm 16:11 sums up perfectly what I am trying to say, "In your presence is fullness of joy". When I submerge myself in the presence of God, whether it be through devotions or summer camp, my heart is filled with the kind of happiness only God can give me.
5. Pray! Pray! Pray! (Romans 12:12)
Romans 12:12 reminds us to be faithful in prayer and for a very very long time I struggled with daily prayer. I always felt like the words never came out just right and I always ended up rambling. It wasn't until later on as I began to grow as a Christian that I realized that prayer was just a conversation between me and God. Once I realized that I began to LOVE praying. I have always been a very soft spoken person and for the most part everyone has to ask me to speak up. When I talk with God, I can whisper and he will hear me, I can write down my prayer as I pray and he will hear me, I can say my prayer inside my head and he will still hear me. Over time I realized that when I write down what I want to say it helps me focus on my prayer and it even helps me remember things I might've forgotten. I realized two things once I began to love praying. First of all, there's no time limit to how long a prayer should last and sometimes a prayer is more like a never ending conversation. And secondly, just because you're praying doesn't mean you have to be asking God for something. When I first started writing down my prayer list, I realized just how much I was asking God for and it helped me focus on thanking God for the good in my life (because, there's a lot!),
