Finding Rest, Finding Peace

I have been so stressed lately. I have so many assignments and essays due and midterms are next week. But despite the stress I’ve been feeling all week long, I had an overwhelming sense of peace when I chose God first. Let me explain.

I was so tired, so worn down; I had been running around all day to get to classes and to figure things out, and I knew the only way to get everything done in time was to pull an all-nighter. If you’re in college or if you have been in college, you know the power and the harm an all-nighter possesses. Yes, you will get your assignments in on time. But you will be a zombie all day and it will take a good part of a week to fully recover from the lack of sleep. But I felt like there was no other option so I was mentally preparing myself for a sleepless night. However, in a mode of procrastination I sat at my desk and painted my nails instead. I put my AirPods in and blasted worship music. Let’s just say that if you had walked into my dorm room, you would find a girl sitting at a desk with freshly painted nails held high above her head as she worshiped the Lord. My soul needed that. I did a quick devotional after I finished worshipping and I felt at ease. Something had changed. My anxiety fled the scene the moment I chose to sit and surrender rather than continuing to overwork myself.

Once I opened my laptop to start my many assignments, two emails popped up from two of my Professors letting my classmates and me know that the assignments due the next day had been pushed out a couple of days. I was absolutely shocked. It felt too surreal. But I learned a very valuable lesson. One that I had learned before and then forgotten about. So maybe you could use a reminder too.

God has you. He has got you! All He asks is for us to come to Him. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). God asks us to come to Him and He will give us rest! We don’t have to worry about anything because God has us!

Philippians 4:6-7 says “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Don’t be anxious about anything because God has you! Turn to Him when you feel weary and He will give you rest! Turn to Him when you are anxious and He will give you peace! Turn to Him always because God is the answer to your problems. He is the answer to everything. Choose Him over and over again because He chooses you.

God literally handled my anxiety and He made time for me to spend with Him when I went to Him first. I didn’t have to pull an all-nighter either so He literally let me rest, both spiritually in peace and physically in sleep.

Reflection: How can you make God a priority in your life?