Summer is ending extremely quickly, and I am sure we have already all shed a little tear over that. School has begun for college goers and is right around the corner for elementary, middle, and high school students.
As a college student myself, this time of the year brings a tremendous amount of stress, anxiety, and anxiousness. It can be overwhelming to think about all the supplies I will need and the amount of work I will have. Thankfully, I have a wonderful husband who is enrolled at the same university and understands all of the feelings that rush through at the thought of “school.” So as school started this week, I decided to put on my big girl pants and grab a couple cups of coffee.
Honestly, I can say doing those two things really helped get me in the zone for classes. I felt ready and motivated by about day……….3. I felt more ready than I ever had before. Shoot, I was almost excited about starting my last fall semester. Now, you might be thinking what I did to get on board with the whole idea of taking six classes this semester and actually being happy about it. Was there something magic in those cups of coffee? You might even be thinking, where can I get a pair of big girl pants?
Well, there was one thing I did EXTRA this time around. I spent a lot of quality time with a special man in my life (and….it wasn’t my husband). By this point, you probably think I’ve lost my mind. Now don’t worry, I haven’t been unfaithful to my husband if that is what you were beginning to think;
I just dedicated a significant amount of time to getting to know my creator on a more intimate level, focusing on what His word says, and meditating on His promises of prosperity for my life. A huge fault of mine has been never giving God enough time. It can be so easy to divide our time amongst other things such as social media or television. I would always eagerly rush through prayer or reading scripture before bed so I could browse other things on my phone.
Something changed in me quickly as school approached this time. Maybe it was the feeling of things getting out of control or just Jeremy’s relentless prayers at work that one day I would understand or see the importance of giving God more of my time like he had months back. I realized, without much effort, that God needed to be number one on my priority list. If Jesus gave his life for mine, couldn’t I give him my “precious” time? I began to see so clearly that Jesus deserved more than the last five minutes of my day.
You’re probably wondering why I am telling you this. I am telling you all of this so that you too may see how much God can work in your life if given the opportunity; how much can change in such a sort amount of time if you dedicate setting aside more time to reflecting on His word. What really started to drive my desire to seek God more was realizing my worth in Him. God loves each and every one of us and wants us to succeed. In Jeremiah 29:11 God says, “For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and to give you hope and a future.” I knew that if I gave God more time, he would reveal more of Himself to me and with that give me better clarity on His will for my life after college. All I needed to do was give him the opportunity to speak. I needed to eliminate the distractions, shut up, and listen (for lack of a better word). So when you feel like everything is out of control, that you have too much on your plate, and that you’ll never make it through a semester… simply start asking God to change your heart to desire more time with Him, ask Him for guidance, and begin reading more of your bible.
Realize, where I couldn’t before, that giving God more time allows Him to actually do all that he promised. It allows Him to bless you and guide you in the times in which things feel hectic and crazy. And I can promise, you will instantly feel a weight lifted, more confident, and loved knowing you have a creator who loves, appreciates, and desires your heart.