I was driving down the road this morning thinking about all the things I had to do. Trying to mentally prepare for the 87 question mid-term I had today at 2. Feeling uncomfortably calm about it, I began to go through my checklist, ok, I have my photos for photography, I have my paper written for Creative Writing class, do I have a... CRAPI had forgotten my pencil for my test. The one thing she told us to bring, she would provide EVERYTHING else, but a pencil. Naturally, I tried to shrug it off. Ok Lord, I need your favor today, I need to do well on this test and I need to be ok.I parked my car, walked into my classroom and guess what was sitting on my desk? A PURPLE PENCIL.

Typically, that would be something that was just part of my day. "oh look, someone forgot their pencil. That sucks." But instead, the Lord used something as small as someone forgetting their pencil to show me I'm not alone in this. He hears my even outrageously tiny requests. It was in that moment, I was reminded that He cares about pencils and even the color they are (go frogs.)

How many times are we bogged down by stress? How many times are we completely overwhelmed with our lists of tasks, school work, work schedules, etc.? We get so wrapped up in the tedious things of everyday life that we don't realize how we've become slaves to them. I am a slave to my school. Now, don't be offended I'm not actually a slaveWebster's Dictionary actually defines slave as "a person entirely under the domination of an influence." In this instance, its whatever we CONSUME ourselves in. Our work, our school, our anxieties, our fear. Bethel actually has a song that intentionally states "I'm no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God." So many times we get wrapped up in the consumption of what’s going on around us. We put all of our work, time, energy and emotion into whatever we're doing. Now hear me out, I'm not saying don't give 110% to whatever you're doing. I am however saying you need to learn how to space your time out. Learn when to breathe and HOW to breathe. College life is tedious, midterms, finals, papers, stress becomes a MAJOR factor when really trying to succeed. Just like anything else in life. We are subjective to whatever we immerse ourselves in. Sometimes that's more than we can handle. Here are a couple ways to insure your freedom in stress, anxiety, fear etc. Especially when it comes to school.

1. Give time to God. - A lot of times we forget that HE is our number one cheerleader. We put him on a shelf and only pray to him when we need something. When things go well, he tends to go back on the shelf. Our God isn’t Squeaky off of Toy Story, he's someone who wants to do all the ins and outs of LIFE with you! Take some time to set aside and spend time with him. Whether it's in the morning or the evening, he deserves everything you have.

2. BREATHE- When you're going so fast sometimes we forget to breathe. Actually, it's a fact. A lot of people hold their breath when trying to focus on something so intensely. This is actually bad for the brain. By holding our breath, we deny our brain oxygen for the tiny second we're holding it. This keeps our brain from being able to function correctly. While I mean physically, in this sense to breathe, I also mean emotionally. Take a break every now and then. Talk yourself through some things. I actually have to talk to myself out loud in order to process things in my brain. Its ok to take a break. A lot yourself a 5 minute break every hour of studying. Not for social media, but just for sitting there. Your mind needs a break just like the rest of your body.

3. Focus- When studying for exams, or even doing something for work, we put huge pressures in the cram session the night before. One of the best pieces of advice I've heard about studying came from my dad… ok his college professor (sorry dad.) His Physics college professor once told him that the best way to study is to study moderately. Do your sessions during the day, and go to bed at a reasonable hour (for those of you who don't know what that is, it's around 10.) The last thing on your mind shouldn't be your study materials, but the word of God. Read a couple passages before bed the night before your exam and see what kind of results you get back!

4. REWARD YO SELF- seriously, this is a big thing. Do not tell yourself you'll eat if you get this much amount of work done. That is both stupid and just plain cruel! Your body needs food, and if it's anything like my body, then it needs it like ALL THE TIME. I once had a friend that poured out M&M's all on her desk and rewarded herself a M&M every time she finished a math problem. Do something that makes you feel ok. I always promise myself I'll go to TJ Maxx if I do a really good job studying ;)

While a lot of these are for dealing with the anxiety of school and stress of school. They can be applied to almost anything. We are slaves of only what we allow ourselves to be. Remember that Jesus came to FREE us, yes that means from any emotional bondage that is consuming us. Talk to the Lord daily, tell him about your struggles. He likes to listen. Jesus and I have many conversations in the car with Usher in the background. (Its ok, he's not offended.) He's our friend, he provides us with purple pencils and reminds us its going to be ok, just like any other of our friends would do! He constantly wants to know how our day is, he wants to talk to us. Allow him to walk WITH you through things, instead of in front or behind you. He's a great listener, and frankly the best boyfriend I’ve ever had.