Being busy and feeling like we never have enough time is an ever-present reality. While this reality often occupies our minds and hearts, this verse reminds us that we do not have to live this way.
Making time for God amidst the busy, the chaotic, the stressful, and the difficult is a common struggle. When we find ourselves thinking that we can’t possibly find one more extra minute to pray, it is in those moments that we know we should call upon God’s faithful guidance all the more. Why then in these moments do we plow on through our day, burning our midnight oil, exhausted and drained, running right past God?
I know that I have been fooled into thinking I must not be doing enough, that I need to do it myself, and that God can’t possibly care about my small day-to-day struggles. But those little moments are where Christ is most present. As Scripture says in one of St. Paul’s letters, “I live no longer, but Christ lives in me.” Mother Theresa followed that by saying, “Christ prays in me, Christ thinks in me, Christ looks through my eyes, Christ speaks through my words, Christ works with my hands, Christ walks with my feet, Christ loves with my heart.”
When we realize that Christ is present in every task and moment of our day, our priorities begin to fall into place and we realize we are no longer tackling the day on our own. We begin to act–not out of our own strength, intelligence, love, or talents–but out of Christ’s, who is working through us. When we start to make prayer a daily priority by going to Mass, stopping in for an hour of Adoration, or setting aside time each morning and evening, we are reminded that God is always with us and wants to help us carry our loads. Living a life where God is our first priority is no easy task. It takes a daily recommitment and decision to trust in God’s goodness for our lives and to take a risk to let Him be our strength. It means setting aside time to just be with God and to let him into every aspect of our daily lives.
As we enter this Advent season, will we continue to think we must take matters into our hands and fix the problems around us all on our own? Or instead, perhaps we can choose to believe in the true power of Jesus Christ as King of the Universe. We can allow Him to direct our lives and fill us with the peace that surpasses all understanding.
Reflection by Sarah Schneider ’17
