When it comes to preparing ourselves for the upcoming school year, we tend to think that a couple trips to Target, IKEA, and maybe Fred Meyer will suffice. While stocking up on pens and notebooks will have us feeling at ease, I find that we do not prepare our own minds and souls for the inevitable school year hurdles, such as excruciatingly long study sessions and piles of homework that, once conquered, simply reset the following week.

As a senior in college, I have found that God has blessed me with wonderful God-centered wisdom from dealing with the pressures and struggles of any given school year. It doesn't matter if you're a freshman in high school or rounding out your college experience as a senior: these tips will be helpful for every student.

1. Take a Sabbath.

Taking a Sabbath may seem counter-productive. "Shouldn't I be working?" you may ask. To that, I would answer that if you truly have been actively working for six days out of the week (or 144 hours) you must have the time to take some form of Sabbath. Now, this isn't some sort of "you" day where you indulge on junk food and lay on the couch. Taking a Sabbath, while a day of rest, should allow us to still connect with God and encourage us to spend our time wisely on activities that will benefit our mental, physical, and emotional health.

For me, a Sabbath means still having my devotional time with God, going on my daily prayer walk around campus, and eating healthfully. It also means I can plan unique activities that honor God and give me distance from my school work, whether that means going to a concert, having a meal out with friends, or embarking on a hike, which is where the cover photo comes from (Oyster Dome, Bellingham, WA).

The point of a Sabbath is to still give the day to God, but to do so away from all traditional work/studying/school projects. Whether you choose to have a specific day or make it one 24-hour period (beginning dinner on Friday and ending after dinner on Saturday), keeping a Sabbath allows us to rest and renew our bodies and minds, so that we do not burn out from unrelenting weeks of around-the-clock study sessions.

"Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling places" (Leviticus 23:3, ESV).

2. Live generously.

If I had a dollar for every time a fellow student described themselves as a "broke college student," I would not be a broke college student. However, even through poverty or whatever lack of resources you believe you might have, God calls us to live generously. Jesus clearly states in The Beatitudes: "Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you" (Matthew 5:42, NIV). Even if it feels as though we have nothing to give, we must trust that God will provide. If He wishes for us to never turn away from giving someone a meal, extra clothing, or even some of our own time, then He clearly knows our limits and how much we truly have that can be given to those who need it more.

Specifically with the infamous group projects, in which everyone complains that they are "the one who always must do all of the work." What would it look like for us to put away our pride (and put away our embellishment of the truth) and serve our group with patience and grace that Jesus served with? Generously giving away our time to work with our classmates or generously opening up our homes to study nights and extra space to help one another not only provides space for God to work in others' hearts, but it also allows for Him to work in our own hearts, too.

3. Set aside time for devotions.

A final piece of biblical wisdom I have found over the years is the importance of having consistent devotional time with God. Whether it be reading through a specific book of the Bible in a week (or month!) or just using those first twenty minutes of my day praying and offering up my school day to God, I have discovered that placing this time at the beginning of my day improves my mood and outlook, and in general prepares me for whatever challenges school brings my way. Even Jesus committed His mornings to God: "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed," (Mark 1:35 NIV).

Now, you might say that you have no time for an extra 20 minutes with God in the morning, but I bet that's not entirely true: what about reading your Bible during breakfast, or listening to more relaxing worship music while spending some time in prayer on your drive/walk to school? Prayer walking to and from classes is an excellent habit to get into, as it aligns and grounds our mood, so that the trivial, negative pieces of our class time or school day don't dictate our state of mind. Consistent time with God is essential in giving up your day to God and allowing Him to be at constant work in our every action.

This relatively short list of biblical tips might not seem to make a profound difference the first week, but consistent commitment to living out God's Wisdom will exponentially improve your spirit, mood, alertness, and, most of all, it will improve the condition of your heart.

This school year, I'm committing to walking with the Lord. If you don't just want a rehash of last school year and want to experience true change in both your life and character, I would encourage you to try out some of these tips, and walk with Him, too!