If your luck is anything like me, then it probably seems like everything has a way of hitting you all at once. No matter how much you plan, organize, or highlight and color-code every single detail written in your planner, it seems like you never truly can "stay on top of things" or "get ahead."
I am 110 percent guilty, and known for, putting more on my plate than I should. Sometimes it does catch up to me, and I constantly find myself wishing for more hours in the day. What seems to be my biggest stumbling block isn't a lack or organization, and sometimes it's not even all of the extra stuff that I add on. In all honesty, for me, life just happens. And it always happens at once. There's nothing I can do to prevent it or even to avoid it, but instead I've learned to just take it one day at a time.
Here are three verses that I find myself clinging to when I'm feeling overwhelmed, whether it be with school, work, or just life:
"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." -2 Corinthians 12:9
Those things you feel like you don't have the strength to do? Those things you see as flaws, and weaknesses? You don't need a full 12 hours of sleep at night to help you check off your to-do list, and you don't have to be perfect to be able to get a job done. Of course getting as much sleep as possible would help, but there will always be coffee at the end of an all-nighter. Your weaknesses will ultimately help you to become stronger, because they will cause you to cling to Christ in the areas that you lack. This teaches you not to try to do it all on your own, because you will understand that you truly can't.
"Then Jesus said, 'Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.'” - Matthew 11:28-30
When my schedule is full, I used to fall into a tendency to cut Christ out first, to put Him on the back burner until I had some free time. I have learned though, sometimes not in the easiest way, that when I keep Christ in my busy schedule, my time seemingly multiplies. As I include Him in my plans, and still give Him the time that He deserves, He makes everything else somehow fall into place. Christ loves to hear about our days, about what is weighing on our hearts, what is stressing us out. He is always there to comfort, and to offer guidance as long as we are willing to give Him the time to listen.
"Be still and know that I am God." -Psalm 46:10
With this last verse, I like to break it down.
"Be still and know that I am."
"Be still and know."
"Be still."
"Be."
It is a constant reminder that no matter what is going on, that I need to just simply BE- maybe to be present in the moment, to be patient, to be happy, to be whatever God is calling me to be at that moment. And a lot of times, He does call me to just "be still" and know that no matter what is going on, that He is going to make it all work out the way that it is meant to, in a way that brings glory to Him.
So, the next time you find yourself stressed out, weighed down, or just lacking guidance on what to "be," I hope that you know that you're never truly alone, and that these verses will bring you a smile!
