You roll out of bed (after hitting the snooze button four times) and brush your teeth. Throw on some clothes, not bothering to pay too much attention to the fact that your shirt is missing a button. Scarf down some "nutritious" sugar cereal. You jump in the car, hop out of the car. Throw on your sports equipment, hustle through practice. Hop in the car, jump out of the car. You're running late! You skid into class just on time, the teacher calls your name and you shout, "Here!" out of breath. You run out of one classroom, and fly into another. Eat a sloppy lunch, then rush through the rest of school. You jump in the car, hop out to the car. At home you throw a stick of gum in your mouth and slave through your homework. You eat a late dinner then brush teeth. Exhausted, you slip on some pajamas and fall into bed. Repeat. When summer ends and life hits, our days can often look like this. Busy and hectic, leaving little time to catch your breath, let alone stop and smell the roses. All too often, we are more concerned about getting to our destination and checking things off our To-Do lists than we are about experiencing real and fulfilling joy among the mayhem of our busy schedules. Often these times of business, though we get a lot done, are the times when we are the most discouraged and depressed. Sometimes we need to feel a little extra of God's love and support. In this article I don't hold the magical secret to being fulfilled spiritually during times of business, but I will be sharing a few tips and tricks that I use to connect with my Savior when I am overwhelmed by the world. 1. Seek a moment of silence There are many opportunities for moments of quiet. You just have to look for them. Keep your
eyes and ears open for moments where you are disengaged from the people and activities going on around you. Last semester, I had to take the bus to school everyday. I hate the bus. But, it was a time in my day where I had nothing to do for two or three hours. I had the option to spend that time with an impatient andu ngrateful attitude, or I could take the time to relax, pray, listen to worship music, or read my Bible or a Christian book. To be honest, some days I wallowed in the bad attitude, other days I made the better choice and relished the moments of silence. The days that I did the later I was enriched and encouraged in my faith. I didn't allow myself to dwell on the negative moment, but instead made the most of it. Though I will by no means miss my bus ride this semester, I will miss the moments of silence that it afforded me. When I think of choosing moments of silence I think of the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42,
"As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, 'Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself ? Tell her to help me!' 'Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, 'you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.'" 26