Hi @Suzen,
You’re not alone in the struggle to prioritize God in the midst of work and the busyness of life. As @lakshmi shared, there are many who have had their own experiences with this; so, I really look forward to hearing what has been helpful for others!
For me, I think you summed up much of how I felt in grad school this year as well as during busy times in the past:
The exhaustion of the day can make even small steps toward God feel so difficult. What I found particularly helpful this past winter was something @Carson shares in the LookUp course in the Uncommon Pursuit Academy which is to start small and celebrate spending even just one minute reading a verse and in prayer!
Hearing that, really helped me to take the pressure off of my devotion time and to focus on enjoying time with God. Of course I want to spend more than a minute with God each day, but, in seasons of exhaustion, the reminder to start small and celebrate every step is just so refreshing and it helps me shift my mindset from seeing a daily devotion as a burden that I do not have the energy for to an accomplishable step that draws me closer to God!
As @lakshmi shared too,
Whenever we work towards growth there will be times and areas where we fall short. So along with celebrating the small steps, it’s important to remember the grace and steadfast love of God through all our missteps on the path to growth, knowing that our righteousness comes from Him alone.
Other things that have been really helpful are prayers of gratitude and podcasts, sermons, and audio books.
Even at my busiest, I still need to eat, drive, wash dishes, do laundry, etc. and I can listen to podcasts, sermons, and audio books during all of these. Honestly, it’s wild how much extra time to grow in my faith and praise God this adds to my day! It has also made dishes and driving, which I didn’t particularly like before, times of learning, prayer, and spiritual refreshment that I cherish and look forward to.
As for prayers of gratitude, I have made a practice of recognizing the little things I am grateful for throughout the day - a beautiful flower, the feel of the sun, a conversation with a friend - and just giving a short prayer of thanks to God for it. I’ve noticed that it helps me see far more all of the ways God is at work in my life, appreciate how good He truly is, and feel much more connected with Him throughout the day.
These short thought prayers throughout the day can be about more than just gratefulness too! @Carson has a great short video about them here where he talks about it is as taking a moment to notice what thoughts or feelings are on your heart and sharing them with God.
I hope some of these practices will be helpful for you! When you’ve found what works for you and helps you connect with and prioritize God throughout this busy season, if you want to share, I’d love to hear what it is and what God has taught you along the way!
I’m looking forward to hearing more thoughts from others and continuing to learn and grow in this area!