Life can get pretty hectic at times. Especially in college. It's not uncommon for you to hear a student joking about being sleep deprived because they have been up until 2 a.m. for the last three nights doing homework. Not sure it is completely a joke, it might be all too real.
Has your life ever felt this way, like it's just going nonstop? Do you ever feel like you're just busy busy busy, late nights, early mornings, jam-packed to-do lists and you're running around thinking there is just not enough time in the day? I've been there, honestly, I'm still there some days but let me tell you this. There is so much more to your life than your to-do list.
Don't get me wrong here. I'm not encouraging you to ignore the homework and chores and classes and work at all. I definitely think you should still do all of that, but you need to be able to do all of these things without getting burned out and overworking yourself. You're a human, not a piece of machinery. You need breaks here and there. You need to rest.
One of the biggest problems I see that leads to this busy, to-do list centered life is the inability to say no. I know I'm guilty of this. It is nice to help out friends when they ask you, and to pick up that shift at work when they call, and to do that volunteer work when the professor says they really need help and you can earn extra credit. It is totally okay, but it is also okay to say no. Don't bite off more than you can chew, don't spread yourself too thin.
Know your limits.
You're not being rude or selfish by saying no, in fact, you're doing the other party a favor. In 2 Corinthians 9:7 scripture says, "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." We are to be cheerful givers. When you overflow your plate with endless to-do's you can feel rushed, over-worked and exhausted. Your mind is constantly on the next thing. You don't give cheerfully this way and that is of no benefit to you or others. My advice on this would just be to live in prayer. It's hard to know sometimes when you should say yes and when you should say no and when you're trying to make that decision don't forget to ask God where he wants to plant you.
Now, I know some of you read that and said, "Okay, but I can't say no. Everything on my to-do list I actually HAVE to do. All the time." and I can so relate to that! Some things we can't get out of for whatever it's reason may be. Even in times like this though, your life is so much more than your to-do list. For all the things you are doing, there is a greater cause to them than a check mark in a box.
Colossians 3:23-24 says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Don't live to see all of those things checked off of your list, don't let completing that list be your big goal. Instead, live to see Christ within your to-do list. Ask yourself how you can work on bringing Him glory by doing each of them.
It's hard sometimes because I know there are things on our lists that we absolutely dread but remember the greater reason. You're doing these things for the Lord who will grant you an inheritance greater than anything our earthly minds can even begin to comprehend.
