Sunday, February 25, 2018
Category: Topical
Be Still: slowing down and spending time with God
By Molly Martin ‘19
“You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13
“I wish I had more time to read my Bible.”
“I would journal every day but I have so many other things to study.”
“I should pray more but I can’t focus.”
“I want to start, I just haven’t gotten there yet.”
These are phrases I hear constantly. Sometimes I hear these things from my friends; other times, I find I am the one making excuses for being so busy. But too busy for God? When you put it like that, these sentences suddenly don’t sound as light and insignificant.
College is a flurry of activity–going to the lab for a research project or staying at the library until the lights are turned off to prepare for a group presentation about the fiscal world. The daily whirlwind of papers and exams, plus jobs, athletics, art and positions in various student organizations makes for a busy week!
It is hard to catch a break.
It is hard to appreciate all the little things in your path when there is so much looming overhead, but God can give you the rest you crave. (And this is coming from a busy bee who rarely sleeps.)
Seek God and He will find you. He wants to be with you and that is a beautiful promise.
Taking time to do devotions every day for a specific period of time can start to feel like a hassle when your schedule is already so full. But weaving God into your life each day is so important. One way I make sure I have spent a least a little piece of purposeful time praising Him is by listing a few things I am thankful for each day. I have a notebook I like to write in, but sometimes it is a quick note in my phone. “I am SO thankful for the girls that live across the hall from me,” or “thank you for giving me the strength to finish all the 200s at swim practice today, for my incredible teammates, the sunset walking back to my dorm, and grocery shopping with Emily.” God wants you to tell Him what you are thinking, even if He already knows. There is always a reason to thank God, despite your circumstances, because you cannot live without Him. He carried you then, and He is carrying you now. Trust Him to help you get everything done. Know that you can take a moment and be still.
Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend of God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
Psalm 62:5-8
The long days we put ourselves through are tiring, but God isn’t. Recently, I’ve been learning the importance of embracing a moment and this helps me find rest. Life is about the little things–like sunsets and grocery shopping. It’s about the study breaks you take in the middle of the night with your friends. It’s about singing in the car with the windows down or running in the rain. It is the way the water feels at a swim meet when you dive into the pool, the rhythm of your beating heart when you beat your best time, and the friendships you forge with a breathless high five at the end of a race. It’s about those random smiles and tears throughout your day. It’s about chasing God.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jerimiah 29:11
God promises He has a plan for your life. You don’t have to rush growing up. It is OK to breathe a little. College drives us toward the future, but I have learned that not everything lasts, so enjoy it while you can. Be thankful that God can give you rest, invest in that and keep up the hard work!