“How are you?”
“I’m good! Just busy.”
How many times have you had this conversation? It seems like no matter what, we are always busy. Busy with our jobs, busy with the kids, busy keeping our homes in order, busy being involved with church, and more. Our lives can feel like a revolving door that is constantly in motion. Never stopping, never getting a break, never not busy. And all too often in these busy seasons, our time with Jesus is the first thing to go.
For this reason, it’s best to avoid extreme busyness—but sometimes, that’s easier said than done. You may have heard comments from other Christians like, “Just don’t be busy!” or “Commit to less!” Yet when examining the responsibilities in your life, you think: There is literally nothing I can take off my plate. Sometimes busy seasons like this are unavoidable; sometimes we have to just embrace them.
But how can we steward our busy seasons with intentional faithfulness and pursue Jesus—even when our schedules are full to the brim?
Hebrews 11:6 says, “Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” This reminds us how important it is for us as believers to remain faithful to Jesus and seek Him, even when life gets crazy.
Here are a few practical tips for remaining committed to the Lord, even when your schedule is limited.
Ways to Remain Faithful When Busy
Though our schedules can sometimes feel chaotic, it is still important that we seek to use our schedules in a way that glorifies God. Regardless of the amount of time we have, we can still remain faithful to the Lord; we may just have to get a bit more creative!
1. Read Scripture before doing anything else.
Sometimes the time that we think we don’t have, we actually do have—only we spend it scrolling on our phones for the first ten minutes of the day. Rather than checking Instagram or text messages first thing in the morning, open up a Bible app or your physical Bible and read a few verses in Scripture. Your quiet time doesn’t need to look like an hour of deep study, but if you have a minute to read over a single verse, take that minute to do so. When you read over that verse or passage, ask the Lord to teach you something from it. That verse or passage is something you can recall throughout your day.
2. Say breath prayers throughout your day.
Often when we think of prayer, we think of sitting before God and having a long conversation with Him. Though a valuable form of prayer, this can sometimes feel impossible to do because of our time constraints. However, the God we serve is faithful to us even when our prayers are uttered in just a few moments—in just a few breaths. A breath prayer is a one-sentence or one-phrase prayer you can say throughout your day. Often, you will say half the prayer on an inhale and the other half on an exhale. For example: (inhale) “Come, Lord Jesus…” (exhale) “…fill my heart with worship.”
Breath prayers like this can keep your mind grounded on the Lord and committed to your relationship with Him, even when your schedule is busy.
A few more examples of breath prayers:
(inhale) “Jesus…” (exhale) “…give me strength.”
(inhale) “Lord, show me…” (exhale) “…your presence today.”
(inhale) “God, have mercy…” (exhale) “…on me, a sinner.”
As you can see, these prayers don’t have to be complicated—but they can remind you of God’s goodness even as you are running from event to event.
3. End your day with gratitude.
As your head hits the pillow after a long, tiring day, where does your mind go first?
Are you mentally making the to-do list for tomorrow or replaying the events of the day? Rather than running to those things, take a moment to thank God for the things He did for you on this day. Whether it be a productive meeting at work, your delicious cup of morning coffee, or the simple fact that you have a pillow to rest your head on, take time to thank God for the ways He has blessed you.
These small practices may not take much of your time, but they can help you steward intentional faithfulness to the Lord. When it seems impossible to simply be “less busy,” we don't have to sacrifice our relationship with God. We can cultivate steadfast faithfulness regardless of what our schedule looks like.
