By Kj Burkley | Reporter
There’s one word people can’t shake these days: busy. We try to avoid it with extensive planning, but at the end of the day, time just seems to run short. This unfortunate reality is magnified in college where the world of opportunities swings wide open.
We cram study material before tests, try to find time to hang out with friends and even take time for a bit of self-reflection, but the list of tasks keeps growing. It leaves us asking ourselves — how in the world can we accomplish everything we dream to achieve?
Cutting down the list of things we do may ease the stress that comes with busyness, but how can we deal with this problem in the long term? Maybe the key isn’t how much we do, but how much we decide to do at a time.
Taking one step at a time to deal with things one-by-one gives each goal our undivided attention and full effort. By constantly reminding ourselves to focus on one responsibility instead of many, the feeling of being overwhelmed melts away.
It seems simple, but the results are effective. Not having to worry about what is around the corner is calming. It gives you courage to take on a hostile day with a cerebral mindset. What seems like an impossible schedule full of classes, labs, jobs and a social life becomes achievable.
“One step at a time.” This was one of two phrases my grandma, Lola Williams, would say all of the time. The other was “look to Jesus.” I never knew what she meant when she said that, but I trusted her words of wisdom and pulled them close to my heart after her passing.
It wasn’t until I started college that I realized what she meant. It was a reference Hebrew 12:2 where the scripture says, “Look to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
I looked to Jesus not just for strength, guidance and protection, but also as someone who was busy, too. In his call to ministry, he never stressed in the midst of the storm. He never flinched when his enemies rose against him. He never feared about the pressure of everyone expecting him to be a certain way.
He knew that he could claim each victory one at a time with God’s help — one miracle, one blessing, one teaching and one deliverance at a time. Just as God walked with Jesus, He walks with us, encouraging us that our life trek with Him will lead us to our home in heaven.
So, maybe our days will feel long. Maybe our schedules will stay complicated. Maybe we can’t escape the pitfalls of being busy. But with the guidance of our God and our own constant reminder, we can navigate through it all — one step at a time.
One academic meeting, one Dr Pepper hour & one O-Chem exam. Our left foot followed by our right, one step at a time.
