This time of year my life goes into the hyper-planning mode. Spring training has started and the baseball season begins in about six weeks. Packing up to go to our spring rental while planning on the transition to Pittsburgh for the season. During this time I feel a disconnection with God. I pray. I read my Bible. But I allow the chaos in my head to stop my connection with Jesus. I don’t see anything wrong with my life choices. I wasn’t making immoral decisions. My life was busy.

It breaks my heart to know I obstruct God’s power and guidance. Why do I allow life to take me to a place of not growing deeper with God? Why do I stop listening to His guidance? I allow my faith to become stagnant. I leave Jesus out of my busy life. I pray the prayers of my heart’s desires, not His desires for me. I had allowed an enormous wall to be built between God and me before. I know that this wall inhibits His power at work in and through me.

In our busyness, we often divide our lives into what involves God and what doesn’t. We keep what we can in control and don’t ask for Jesus’ guidance in the minutiae of life. When we do find a need to invite Him in, we often don’t take the time to wait patiently. We ask for His guidance but get too busy to listen. We think to ask for help but push it aside thinking others are more in need than us. I saw I had created this division in my heart, once again.

God had shown me the root of the problem before. He reminded me. The small whisper of God spoke deeply into my spirit, “It’s a heart matter.”

Stress can lead to impulsive and unwise decisions. Our minds are clearer when under less stress. Similarly, our spiritual hearts play a vital role in our thinking, ambition, emotions, and moral decisions. Unguarded hearts affect our entire being. Heart signals become distorted, invading our spiritual lives with clutter.

My heart was the problem. The division of what was in my control and where I thought God was allowed was sending unhealthy signals from my heart to my soul. I had allowed distractions and busyness to distort healthy spiritual heart signals.

How do we begin to turn our crazy busy lives into lives that are focused on God?

1. No matter what is going on a five-minute break will not destroy your world. Set a timer on your phone. Find a quiet corner (I know moms of young ones. Not even the bathroom is a safe place.) Try. Find a spot. Five minutes.
2. Close your eyes.
3. One deep breath in. Then, release it along with all the burdens and stress, for these five minutes.
4. Be still. God’s “still” is the stillness related to our spirits. Still your spirit.
5. Say His name. Jesus.

These steps are only a beginning but what a great beginning it is. Connect with Him. Turn to Him first. Seek him even when things are hectic.

I practiced this today. When the blog was due, the radio interview was pending, the groceries were depleted, the calls to the rental company were unanswered, and my mind was spinning with the to-do’s I had for writing. I stopped. He was there.

How do you connect with Jesus when life seems too busy? Do you need to reconnect with Him more often? What’s your plan to do just that?