Need to lighten your load? Consider these two simple strategies.

Too much on your plate

Have you started a week with too much on your plate, worry filling your head with all you needed to accomplish, and no idea how to get it all done?

Ever consider offloading some or all of it to Jesus?

Yeah, me neither. At least not very often, but this week I had another opportunity to do so with encouraging results.

Today I’ll share a few strategies you can implement immediately. That’s what I did.

Two strategies to lighten your load

I came into this week with a lot on my plate. On another occasion, I might have become a bit anxious or worried. This week I took a different approach. I focused on Jesus instead of my full plate.

I want to give you a couple of strategies to help bring your own days into perspective if needed.

Seek His face always and pray continually

Seek Jesus’ face always and pray continually.

Seek His face always.

Pray continually.

The first part comes from the book of 1 Chronicles chapter 16 verse 11 (NIV) in the Old Testament of the Bible. The second passage is from 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 17 (NIV) in the New Testament.

Want an even simpler way to remember this?

Focus on Jesus and pray.

Prayer is connection with God

Now if perpetual prayer isn’t your thing, I want to share something else to consider. I like to think of prayer as an active connection with God. When I’m praying or even just about to pray, I am postured toward God. I’m thinking about Jesus, and am either about to speak - or about to listen.

Speaking to God

For today’s example, I’ll focus on the speaking part. Some of the previous episodes give some insight into the listening side. In this case, I have a problem, or a potential problem, and I’m looking for some assistance. I’m sharing my struggle with Jesus in hopes of receiving a solution.

Simply share your thoughts

New to prayer? Just think of it as communicating with God, sharing your thoughts out loud, on paper, or in the quiet of your heart.

Continuously

So here’s the key to this kind of prayer. It’s continuous. This isn’t the one and done prayer, like running an errand, or checking an item off your list. This is an “at any moment you are sharing your thoughts with God” kind of prayer, letting Him know what’s on your mind whenever you want.

Isn’t that comforting? I don’t know about you, but often if I have something weighing me down it’s a constant barrage of unsettled noise and worry. What I’m worried about stays on my mind most of the day.

Tell God how we’re feeling

Praying constantly means we can keep God up to date with how we are feeling about something. Isn’t it nice to have someone to talk to?

Comforting presence

Like a child on the playground whose parent sits nearby. An occasional glance up and the child makes eye contact, remembers the parent who loves this child deeply and is nearby at all times. A comforting presence.

Call out to Jesus

So if something crops up, we can call out to Jesus. Which leads us right into the first phrase, to seek His face.

When we seek His face, we focus on Jesus.

Focus on Jesus