How do I balance my spiritual life and my academic life especially in the exam season? As in how do I remember to put my trust in God to fight distractions instead of depending on myself?
Thank you for asking this very important question.
During exams times, when studies take priority, we tend to sometimes miss out on our quiet times and our Bible readings. Its either studying or distractions.
I’ll tell a few things that may be helpful to stay on track.
Know your priorities - What if I don’t have time to spend with God? Life can be hectic; school, study, assignment deadlines, record completion, exams and a full to-do list. Yes, I know how it is. That’s why you need to ask yourself: What’s the most important thing in your life? Because we always make time for what truly matters to us. Spiritual nourishment doesnt happen without spiritual food.
Take action - Take the best time of the time(where chances of other things coming in are less - preferably the beginning of the day) to have a quality time with God. Without us taking an initiative to be disciplined about it, the plan wont take off. So yes, decide when you're gonna have your daily personal time with God.
Small steps are good for a start - If you are not someone who is just beginning with a scheduled time for prayer or proper plan for daily Bible reading, make sure your steps are achievable and not so big that you are not able to follow it for long enough. Consistenly make progress - read an extra chapter or spend 5 mins more to meditate on what you read etc. Don't try to get it all done in a day. Its a progressive process.
Make mistakes count - We may not be on track all the time (if yes, then great!), but may have a bad day or two. Take time to reflect on what went wrong and write down your lessons, so that the lesson is learnt and the chances of the same thing happening again is less.
Have somebody along with you - If you can get one of your friends along with you to do this, then great. Keep a check on each other's spiritual health. A short time to share about concerns and to pray about is a really helpful step to keep a check on our spiritual life. If you dont have such a friend, you can ask someone you trust to keep a check on your spiritual health.
At the end of the day, dependancy on God is something we'll understand more about and be conviced of more, the more we practice it. As you enter the exam season, remember to have not only academic goals, but also spiritual goals. So instead of going ahead without a plan and waiting for a spiritual drain out, first take some time off to make that plan prayerfully - and I'm sure God will help you do it!
"Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established." Proverbs 16:3 (NKJV)