It’s 7:00 in the morning. I can hear the blaring sound of my alarm telling me that it’s time for me to get up. I snooze my alarm and snooze my alarm until I have 10 mins until I have to leave. Then once I finally get up, I am rushing to get dressed and ready to take on my day. I am hurrying out of my door – probably forgetting things as I rush out. Where is the room for Jesus in my morning?

When I don’t take the time to acknowledge Jesus when I wake up, it feels like everything in my day is going wrong. I am still late for work or class. Somehow, I spill my drink everywhere. I also manage to injure myself somehow throughout the day. Am I saying that Jesus set me up for failure? Of course not! I’m saying that I didn’t set myself up for success because I didn’t make Jesus a priority. It feels like my whole day is rough because I didn’t acknowledge Jesus and invite his presence into my day. We often build our routines and try to fit Jesus. It’s like we put everything else life throws at us before Jesus. We are giving God the scraps of our time.

How often do we get so busy that we leave no time for Jesus? How often do we go through life where we exclude God and expect everything to go as we planned? When we run off without including Jesus, it’s easy to forget that he is in control. Giving Jesus a designated space in our lives and inviting him into our day allows him to take full control.

 

But how do I leave space for Jesus? I am just so busy.

 

It is difficult as we get older to leave room for Jesus. Our responsibilities tend to grow to be more and more. We get married, have kids, have pets, get jobs, and socialize with friends. Life doesn’t slow down. So, what can we do to slow down and let Jesus in? I want to give you two significant tips on how to rebuild your routine with Jesus at the center of it.

 

Tip 1: Evaluate

We have to take a step back and evaluate how we are allocating our time. What are the things that we are giving too much time to? At the beginning of my school year, I realized that if I continued without giving time to Jesus, I was going, I would be tired physically, emotionally, and, most importantly, spiritually. I had to take a step back and evaluate my time. How can I rebuild my schedule where God is at the center? What can I cut out of my day that I am giving too much time to?

I first look at my calendar. I knew that I couldn’t cut my classes because I need those to graduate and get a degree. I couldn’t cut studying because I need to do that to pass my classes. I couldn’t cut my hours at work because I need money to sustain myself. As I looked at my calendar feeling stuck, I realized that I had large gaps in my schedule between classes; most of them twenty minutes to an hour. So, where is this time going?

I find myself guilty of being on social media in all of my free time. I can’t get up in the morning without scrolling through my phone to “wake up.” I thought to myself, “there is no way that I am spending that much time on social media,.” I decided to look at my phone usage, and it told me that I spend upward of 7 hours on my phone – mostly on Instagram and TikTok. I was in shock! I was going all day, not inviting Jesus into my day because I didn’t believe I had time. When in actuality, I was allocating all my time to being on social media.

 Where are you allocating your time? Are you spending all of your free time on Facebook? Are you going out with your friends often? Where are the gaps that we have to take time and acknowledge Jesus? We have to evaluate where we can start making cuts. Inviting God’s presence into your day isn’t something that is just designated for Sundays. We have to make time for God every day. I know it is challenging throughout the week, but where do you have room?

 

Tip 2: Execute

           Now that you’ve realized the gaps in your schedule and what you can cut to create space for Jesus, it is now time to execute that plan. Implementing this plan will take a lot of discipline and diligence; it is more than just saying you are going to do but taking steps to make sure that you do it.

           First, you have to decide how long you are going to start worshipping God. This doesn’t have to be the amount of time you set aside forever. There can be a gradual increase as our schedules are always changing. This semester I am doing a lot more because it is my senior year. I have a job, senior research project, homework, classes in general, and trying to be intentional with my friendships. I also tend to have a short attention span that can cause me to get bored quickly and focus my mind on something else. So, to get the most out of my time with Jesus, I started with fifteen minutes.

           Next, you have to take steps to make sure that you do what to say you will do. This may mean that you have to do it at the same time every day and set it into your calendar. This may mean getting rid of all distractions.  For myself, I am so addicted to social media; it is difficult for me to set my phone down for fifteen minutes to spend time with the Lord in between my classes. So immediately, when I have a gap, I lock my phone and put it in my backpack, and I go straight to my prayer room to spend time with Jesus—not leaving anytime to get distracted.

          

If you need something that can comfort you, and help you focus on your prayer and meditation time, pick up one of our Olive Wood holding crosses. These holding crosses come with a meditation booklet with unique scriptures that can help you focus in and get the most out of your time with Jesus.

I hope these two tips are something that you can implement in your life to make God the center of your routines. These tips are something that has changed my walk and relationship with Jesus for the best.

Have a Great week!

- Taylor