There I was, one brisk autumn evening, in the presence of Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration. It had been awhile since I spent an intimate moment with Him. Throughout that past month, I had been overwhelmed and consumed with the chaos of life. You know that feeling of anxiety that pops up whenever your to-do list begins to over pour? That was my life.
Every moment I spent obsessing over what had to get done and what was overdue led me to take small steps away from Him.
I became so consumed with fulfilling every single appointment and task in my planner. Slowly, my priorities began to shift. One night of putting off what I like to call my “Jesus dates” - consisting of journaling or lectio divina - led to multiple days of neglecting prayer.
Implementing Daily Jesus Dates
As I knelt in the midst of His presence, I was overwhelmed knowing I had taken steps back from my relationship with God. I realized that spending time away from His embrace is not worth it.
In those moments of prayer, I knew what needed to be done.
1. Keep God as the center.
Despite the chaos that might arise in life, we must always commit to Jesus in personal ways that bring us closer to His heart. This means finding ways to keep prayer as a thriving aspect of our lives.
Even in our busy-ness, we can allow God to be the center of it all.
Even in our busy-ness, we can allow God to be the center of it all. #BISblog //Click to tweet
2. Start the day with prayer.
When you wake up in the morning, allow the name of Jesus to be the first word that comes from your lips. My favorite way to jumpstart the mornings is by waking up a few minutes early to read the daily Psalm. This gives me something to reflect on throughout the day so that I can bring those words of reassurance or peace into the busy-ness.
3. Take advantage of alone time.
We all have at least some time when we are alone, whether it be while driving or in the shower. Allow these times to shape into moments of prayer and reflection.
For me, a good chunk of my time is spent driving. The time I spend in my car has been the golden key to my prayer life. As I drive to my destination, I spend time praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet, praying through a good praise and worship playlist, and listening to Catholic podcasts such as Abiding Together and Manna Food For Thought.
For others, finding alone time may differ. Your alone time might be walking to a destination. As you’re traveling to your destination or running errands, your prayer could consist of spending time in silence, finding God in your surroundings, and listening to His voice. If you wish you had more time in the day to pray the Rosary, challenge yourself to pray one decade at a time throughout the day.
4. Trust in Him.
Most importantly, in order to avoid becoming consumed by busy-ness, we must choose to let go of wanting control and trust Him. God doesn’t give us seasons of busy-ness only to abandon us. He wants to stay with us throughout the journey and be our light. But first, we must trust that in our own chaos and mess, He is with us and wants to do something beautiful.
We’ve all been through those seasons of constant chaos. There’s always something that needs to be done or lists that need to be checked off.
It’s in these times of distress that we are called to trust that God will give us the strength and ability to get through it, if only we allow room for Him. He calls us higher in life than to live for to-do list. We must remember that before we were mothers, students, or workers, we were His beloveds. Let us allow the truth of being His daughters to captivate us so that we may not live to satisfy this world, but rather Him.
How do you make time to connect with Jesus each day?
Implementing Daily Jesus Dates in Busy Times #BISblog //Click to tweet
Vanessa Serna is a college student from Southern California. She is an avid coffee drinker, book store wander, and mac & cheese enthusiast. She finds joy in nature and finding the heart of God in the world.
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