If your planner has ever looked like the one pictured above, you can attest to this blog post. Over the past three years, the Lord has grown me so much, but I have been stretched thin multiple times by my never-ending to-do lists each day which add up so easily if you don’t set clear boundaries.
From setting times to do homework, sleep, eat, and even an alarm early in the a.m. it can be extremely tedious but also so overwhelming. So, how can I deal with this busy schedule? Do I just vent to my dearest friends about the newest struggle, spend time running or exercising to get it off my back? What about praying it off, isn’t that supposed to have a resounding effect on anxiety? (Which prayer does definitely work, but you must be in the right frame-of-mind. The Lord will help you through it, but you must have faith in Him! Faith as small as a mustard seed) There are many ways to cure anxiety and a sense of being overwhelmed, but one of my go-to methods that I have gone to this past month of school has been to just force myself to stop working. To literally stop working on homework or any other responsibilities and just rest. I rest by reading or re-reading my devotional for the day and also catching up in my prayer journal. This has been my main release this school year since I am unable to make it to the gym. Spending time with the Lord is one of the best ways to cool down and breathe. I’ve had nights where I come back to my apartment and set time aside to talk with others and not do any homework. There are also nights now where I just come back and focus on one main assignment and then head off to bed. University has been in session for six weeks now and I have gotten an average of 5 hours of sleep a night (give or take a few minutes). This semester so far has been completely sleepless and insanely hectic.
I have learned several things. One of those is that by the Lord’s strength alone I can have complete rest. Yes, I may run in circles each day and not have much free time, but the Lord has me placed where I am for a specific purpose. It is because of Him that I can push through the exhaustion. I’m not recommending anyone try to exhaust themselves, but if you find yourself wearing many hats, just remember that God will help you put them on and take them off as needed. By his strength alone I can fall asleep and know that God will protect me. I can trust him in the 5 or so hours completely to protect myself from worrying about homework, pressures, and friends. This strength I use when I am at my lowest point of not knowing how to make schedules fit or even finish an assignment because of the time restraints. This semester has been wild, but it is worth it all since I know that God’s name will be glorified through the different hats he gave me to wear.
Remember to rest and praise Jesus during your highest highs and lowest lows.