Too Busy to Acknowledge the Present?

 One evening during late September, I decided to write a new post on balancing the busyness of life and incorporating more time for God. I sat down, got on my computer, and began to write. A few sentences in, I had already become distracted. The tiredness from a long, busy day of work was catching up with me. In that moment, I took a break. "It'll be a quick break," I told myself. A quick scroll through social media is all I intend to do. Before you know it, an hour had passed, it was late, and I decided to stop for the night reassuring myself I would get back to writing tomorrow. Unfortunately, tomorrow became the next day, the next day became next week, next week became the week after, the week after became next month, so on and so forth. 

Fast forward three months, here I am sitting at my desk late at night choosing to pick up where I left off. Truthfully, I'm choosing to write mostly because I'm avoiding homework, but also because I feel compelled to finish this post. I've taken notes on my phone here and there, but it doesn't compare to actually typing on my computer. This post has been on my mind every week since I started, and I realized, why wait? What's the hold up? I keep pushing it back for no reason. My point is, it's ironic how well I demonstrated what I want to discuss. Distraction, not feeling motivated, and the busy parts of life take up a large part of our time. This causes us to lose focus on the present. We forget to acknowledge what's most important. 

These past few months have been filled with stress as my first semester of sophomore year of college came to an end. The months were filled with busy days at work due to the holidays. They were days filled with worry and stress over little things. These situations have been my excuse for not working harder to improve the things I wish to strengthen in my life. 

Today, as I get back into the motion of classes for my second semester, I'm taking this opportunity to urge you to live more in the present. Put more focus on the moment you are living, not the ones you have lived or will live. Take in the now. Place your mind in today's moments, not yesterday's and not tomorrow's. Trying to fully understand everything in your life only causes worry to cloud your mind. We don't have complete control, yet that is okay. God has everything in His hands, and I believe that if we seek to understand this truth, the thought of what was or what will become will not contain as much pressure. I'm not saying that we shouldn't look back on our past or consider the future, but rather, we shouldn't make it a habit to dwell on it. We should learn to become more appreciative of what is in front of us this very day. For the sake of feeling calm, confident, and collected, we can work to wash away the fear, doubt, and stress that resides in us when we begin to reflect on moments other than the present. There's a strong urge to be in control of our lives. I struggle with this every day. In all honesty, I have a difficult time giving complete trust to God. It's definitely a learning process; one that will take time. I am aware of this though, and am willing to turn it around for the better. 

Overthinking is a second nature for me. It's almost like a constant replay in my head, no matter the situation. If it's not one thing, it's something else. Good or bad, I worry. That's who I am, but through Christ, I know I can find the ability to let go and give it up to Him. Letting go of the struggles and situations that fill your mind will relieve you of so much weight. I believe it'll bring more happiness into your life. I want to grow a stronger relationship with God and be able to confidently trust in His ways and His words. 

Therefore, while we encounter different distractions in our life that appear to continuously keep us busy, my main question is:  

How do we keep God a constant in our ever-changing life? 

I don't know. Honestly, I don't. What I do know, is that we have several opportunities to strengthen our relationship with God whether that be through prayer, journaling, reading scripture, quitting bad habits, or strengthening our relationships with others. I know life gets busy. As a full-time college student working a part-time job, I feel stressed about something at least once a day. Yes, it's unhealthy, but that's life. I may not be able to give 100% of my struggles up to God, but every day I give at least one thing up to Him is a day to be proud. 

Nowadays, we make too many excuses. "I don't have enough time for prayer." "I don't know how to pray correctly." "I'm not sure how to talk to God." "What will I say to Him?" "I'm too tired from work." "I have too much going on." The list can go on. My only advice for you, and for me, is to make the time. 

Make the time. 

If you only have a minute to spare, spend it with God. It may not be much, but man is it a good start. Even a quick, "Thank you Lord for blessing me with another day," is a better start than nothing. Everyone's relationship with the Lord is different, and there is nothing wrong with that. I personally believe that if God is important in your life, you should work harder every day to improve your relationship. He is here to guide you every step of the way. All He wants is for us to find comfort in Him. As I've mentioned, trust is what I'm currently working on with God. I want to give more than I previously have, and to do so, I have to acknowledge the need to work on this. 

God brings me hope. He brings me comfort. He brings me reassurance of peace and joy. Doubt takes this away. Fear takes this away. Stress takes this away. If it's not bringing me peace, I don't want to give it a second thought.  

Next time you feel consumed by the busyness of school, work, distractions, give it up to God. Ask Him to take it away and to relieve your heart of any unwelcoming guests. He will straighten our paths with His goodness. God continuously directs us in our everyday life. Life gets tough. We go through rough patches and make excuses to avoid what needs our attention most. Let's work on this together. Our lives are continuously changing, but God will forever be a constant. From this day on, I am choosing to acknowledge this truth more often. I need this reassurance for the next time I feel overwhelmed by the pressures of every day life. 

Live in the present. Live like you have nothing to lose. Focus on the good, the bad, and the in-between of every day. Learn from it. Talk to God. Grow with Him and for Him. Matthew 6:34 says, "Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." 

For these next few minutes, I want you to do me a favor. Close your eyes and take a deep breath in, then breathe out. Do this a couple of times. What do you feel? A sense of relief? Peace? Your shoulders drop from all the worry you've been
putting on yourself? Anything? Nothing? Whatever you're feeling, let it go. Just for these next few minutes, I want you to focus on yourself. Think of your biggest goals and dreams you wish to accomplish. Think of what makes you the happiest. Think of the good in your life; the many ways you've been blessed. Forget about your worries, your doubts, or your fears. Do it for these next few minutes and reflect on it. Reflect on the present moment. 

All you have to do is breathe in, breathe out, and give it to God.