staying connected to God in the busy seasons
I get it. You want to stay connected to Jesus but LIFE IS BUSY.
You want to be on fire for Jesus but your to-do list is drowning you.
You want to mature in Jesus and not grow cold but work… but school…
I see you. I’m in the middle of it with you. When we get caught in a busy season of life, it can sometimes seem like God is the furthest from us… when the reality is that we have drifted from God. But sis, take hope. There is no distance or schedule that can separate you from God. He’s right by your side, waiting for you to slow down and be with Him.
It’s totally possible to stay stoked for Christ in the middle of busy seasons. This is our little corner of the Internet and I want to be able to extend grace to you. If you’re in a busy season of life or just a busy LIFE — I want to remind you that a connection with God is possible — despite your crazy schedule.
This is your encouragement to pursue the face of Jesus, even in the busy seasons. He will give you all the rest you need to advancing the kingdom (Psalm 51:10-12).
Here are my five, simple ways to stay connected to God when life gets crazy, busy & hectic…
Give Him the first 10 minutes of your day.
The way we start our day has a big influence on how the rest of it plays out. If we start our days stressed about our to-do lists, the remainder of the day will be stressed. If we start our days rushed and preoccupied, there won’t be much room for God to occupy our thoughts and actions.
My challenge for you is to give God the first ten minutes of your day. What I mean by that is, spend the first ten minutes of your day reading the Bible and praying. Think about it: Ten minutes is a 1/6th of an hour. And we have 24 HOURS in one day. Doesn’t God deserve at least that?! This may mean you have to set your morning alarm to go off 10 minutes earlier — but in the grand scheme of things, it is worth it. Spending time with God in the Word helps you love Him more and serve Him best.
“Let the morning bring me the word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You.” (Psalm 14e time, we fill our minds with mindless thinking when we could be filling our minds with Jesus instead. In those moments, we could actually be growing closer to Jesus! One of my favorite ways to stay close to Jesus and grow in His wisdom is to listen to worship music and podcasts!
Listen to Truth.
Nowadays, you can listen music and podcasts from the phone in your back pocket. An easy way to feel God’s presence, grow in your faith and learn how to serve Him better is to listen to a sermon or have a mini-worship sesh. The whole point is using the time in our day to grow closer to Jesus — in whatever we do. Try working out to a podcast and getting in some Jesus-learning & Jesus-lovin’ time. Try putting your makeup on and doing your hair in the morning with a worship album going. Leverage your down time for Jesus! Make every moment count before the business hits.
Fill your home and work with Truth.
This tip may seem a little silly but don’t underestimate it! Use sticky notes or pieces of random paper to write down Bible verses or prayer requests. Slap ‘em everywhere and anywhere that you’re comfortable with. What this does is remind you of truth as you go about your day. When you sit down at your office at work or look at your bathroom mirror, you can be reminded of God’s heart. Feel free to get creative with it as well! Find cute sticky notes, papers and stickers and glitz it up. Change up the verses every once and awhile if you’d like. Not only could this be a cute decor idea, it’ll also keep your heart centered on God’s truth. Put these pieces of paper in places that you are the most so that you can see it often and praise Jesus along the way.
Be an intentional prayer warrior.
Ephesians 6:18 encourages all of us to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” Countless times in the Bible, we are told to pray continually. It can be so challenging to pray non-stop, especially with a million things to do and a million people to chat with. But this is one of the most important things. A sure way to stay connected to Jesus and grow in our faith is to pray to Him often. After all, praying is a conversation with God — think of it as a phone call between you and your Heavenly Father. And if it helps you, be intentional about when you pray.
You can make up fun games like… Every time you turn on a light switch, pray for someone struggling in your life. Orrrrr… Every time you hop in your car, take a few minutes to thank Jesus for what He has blessed you with. Make some fun little games out of it to help you stay intentional and sincere.
Say “no” so you can say “yes.”
This has to do with everyone’s faaaavooorrrittteee word… “prioritizing.” No matter our circumstances, life gets busy for us all. No matter our occupation, schooling situation or relationship status — our lives get busy. And more times than not, our plates get too full and it leads to overwhelm. That’s why I encourage you to take an inventory of your life.
Ask yourself questions like… What does a normal week look like for me? Am I doing too much? What is the most important to me? What is most important to God? What could I remove from my schedule? Is there something that is distracting me from what God really wants me to be doing?
If you’re already feeling overwhelmed by a busy life — start learning to say “no” so you can say “yes” to God. If flashy new opportunities come up and they’re only going to distract you from giving your 100% to Him and to others, learn to say no. This, in turn, will help you stay closer to Jesus. By choosing to prioritize Him and not clutter your life, you’ll stay connected.
At the end of the day… remember what’s important. Remember that a busy life is great — but God is greater. Remember that having a to-do list is great, but staying connected to Christ and growing in Him is the biggest priority. Life is going to get busy for everyone, but we have the opportunity to do everything for God (Colossians 3:23). Give yourself grace.
