I will never forget the time I slept just three hours in two days.

Papers in college always seemed to pile up and be due all at once. Perhaps it’s because of the semester rhythm, but all of my classes would have major papers, projects, and exams on the exact same week. One December night, I remember sitting in my mass-produced desk rubbing my forehead in agony. I was obsessively thinking about the massive mound of papers I had to write in just two nights. It was a staggering 40 pages worth of writing combined. I had thirty hours to knock it all out. Maybe it was the pot of coffee, but I could feel my heart pounding with nervousness just thinking about the tremendous task ahead of me.

Let’s rewind fourteen weeks. All of my work was assigned on the first day of class. Professors literally handed me a piece of paper with every single thing I needed to do in an orderly list. In some classes, there were only 2-3 major assignments due for the entirety of the semester. Unfortunately, this didn’t change how I spent my time. As far as I was foolishly concerned, if it wasn’t due the next day then it wasn’t worth my time. Even as the assignments got closer, I still watched marathons of zombie shows while eating calzones. With every day the assignments got closer, but I was still spending hours on YouTube, goofing around in Walmart, and trying to build the perfect snowman. Then, all of a sudden, I had to do a whole semesters worth of work in two nights.

After a thirty-hour triathlon of typing, I finally completed my papers and powerpoint presentations. My eyes were sore, my body was aching, and my writing was downright sloppy. After getting straight As all year long, I received a B and a handful of Cs that semester — all because I failed to prioritize my time. This wasn’t the professors fault, it was mine.

READ: Matthew 6:33
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Priorities are important. They help us live better lives when they are properly in place. However, they can also spiral us into chaos when they’re out of place. I know a lot of us feel as though our lives are falling into pieces. We feel as though our minds are chaotic and our lives are cluttered. How do we accomplish all we need to? How do we find peace? How do we actually find balance when everything seems off?

When Jesus is preaching the sermon on the mount, He is inevitably talking to some people with a lot on their minds. Some of them are in poverty, some of them have been cast out of society, some of them are unemployed, some of them are feeling forsaken. Then he tells them the key to calm amid the chaos — seek God first.

Does that mean we just put Jesus at the top of our to-do list along with laundry and dishes? No, it goes so much deeper than that. Jesus needs to be at the center of our lives. Dawson Trotman suggested a powerful illustration when describing this principle. He encouraged us to image our lives like a bicycle wheel — with a central hub and spokes radiating from it. What is in the center? For most people it’s themselves or the pursuit of possessions. Trotman suggests the center should be Jesus. He should be the balancing-central-point that you build everything around. When your life is properly aligned, you will move forward smoothly and steadily.

When Jesus is your center, every decision starts with Him. When Jesus is your center, every day starts by digging into His word. When Jesus is your center, prayer is a priority. Wheels are amazing because their force comes from the middle and moves outward — the same is true for you. The power of God should radiate from within you. You can experience this supernatural balance when you choose to put Jesus at the center of your life.
Center yourself in Jesus.

You will experience calm even when your life seems chaotic.
You will find time to rest even when you feel busy.
You will experience grace in all those places you feel guilt.
You will feel His presence even when you’re in an empty room.

Let God’s word guide you. Let Jesus’s teachings train you. Pray for the Holy Spirit to empower you. With Jesus at the center, you will find renewed stability.

Seek God first, then everything else will fall into place.

TALK IT OUT
Go through these questions with your circle. Be honest. Be open. Talk through the tough stuff.
Q1: Do you tend to work ahead or procrastinate in school? Q2: What are your top 5 priorities in life?
Q3: Are you ever left feeling stressed or overwhelmed because you didn’t prioritize your time well? Explain.
Q4: When Jesus becomes the center of someone’s life, how might that change their relationships, priorities, and the way they spend their time?
Q5: What can we do on a daily basis to continuously place Jesus back in the center of our lives?
Q6: What’s the first thing you do every morning when you wake up? What could you commit to doing every morning this week in order to seek God instead?