How to Handle the Busyness

Living in New York City often leaves peace to be desired. This city is full of noise and people. It can seem wonderful at first, but tiring later on. When I moved here, my new friends warned me to guard my time. “Everyone will ask for your time,” they told me. I didn’t quite believe them at first.

Quickly I found myself overcommitting to events, to work, trying to fit in that cycle class, and also dinner with a friend.

WHEN WE’RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME

Fortunately, there is someone who gives rather than takes, and we can access him when we’re running out of time in our day, and when our lives are chaotic.

Jesus says he is our oasis and our refreshment

Every morning when I wake up, I make a cup of coffee and sit down with my Bible and a journal. For years I have done this. I call this “letting everything fall to the side.”

In the mornings I do not rush, and I don’t schedule anything. Instead I commit myself to sitting with God and letting him be my focus.

It can be easy to be intimidated by the Bible. It has big words and stories that do not always feel relevant, but I find God always meets me there.

God does not need us to have our lives organized before we spend time with him, or to even feel at peace!

Sometimes my best mornings are when I throw my hands up in stress, and commit thirty minutes to one hour reading the Bible, praying, and being silent. I let work, social commitments, and workout classes wait outside my front door.

FINDING SACRED SPACE

Morning is my sacred time.

Morning doesn’t have to be your time to look for peace. Perhaps it is your commute, a lunch break at Bryant Park, or an evening having dinner with just you and your heavenly Father as the special guests.

God is already in our day-to-day lives, but we can be intentional in looking for him.

We’re promised good gifts in return for spending time with God — joy that overflows and peace that subdues. These gifts remind us that this city can be peaceful even in the chaos, because we have his presence.

How are you cultivating peace in your day-to-day?

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Evan Ressegger is a project manager for non-profits in NYC. Originally from North Carolina, Evan moved from Nashville to NYC to pursue work serving marginalized communities. She currently resides in Gramercy Park. You can find Evan on Instagram @evan_laura