To The Girl Trying To Do It All

When I first started college, I thought I could do it all. I wanted to be the girl who had straight A’s, a thriving social life, and a deep relationship with Jesus. I wanted to work hard, make money, and still have time for long Bible studies and coffee with friends. Four years later, I’ve learned that balance doesn’t always look like having everything together, it looks like surrendering when you can’t.

I’ve had seasons where my prayer life felt alive and my faith felt unshakable. But I’ve also had seasons where I woke up, went to class, worked long hours, came home drained, and realized I hadn’t talked to God all day. The guilt used to sting. I’d think, “How can I say I love God but forget to pray?” But I’ve come to see that God’s grace covers even those quiet, tired moments. He sees you trying. He knows your heart, even when your energy is gone.

There were nights I cried in bed after long days after juggling school deadlines, work shifts, and expectations that felt too heavy to carry. I’d scroll through my phone, see everyone else’s perfect lives, and whisper, “God, Am I falling behind?”

Some days, I cried quietly because I felt like I wasn’t enough, not spiritual enough, not productive enough, not successful enough. But in those still moments, when my chest felt tight and my thoughts were loud, I’d feel a gentle whisper in my heart: “Be still.”

God didn’t call me to burnout. He called me to be faithful. And faithfulness sometimes looks like saying no, resting, crying in His presence, or trusting Him with things that feel unfinished.

College can make you feel like your worth depends on your GPA, your résumé, or how well you appear to “have it all together.” But faith reminds you that your worth is already secure. You don’t have to prove anything to earn God’s love, you already have it. Ambition is a gift when it’s rooted in purpose, but it becomes heavy when it’s tied to comparison.

If you’re in that season of juggling everything your faith, your work, your classes, your future here are a few things that have anchored me:

• You don’t have to separate your calling from your career. Whatever you do studying, serving, working can be worship when your heart is aligned with Him.
• Rest is not laziness. God rested on the seventh day not because He needed to, but to show us that rest is holy.
• Your worth isn’t tied to productivity. Even when you feel behind, He still calls you chosen and loved.
• Invite God into your schedule. Pray while you walk to class. Listen to worship on your commute. Let Him into your everyday rhythm.

Looking back on these four years, I realize the times I felt closest to God weren’t when everything was perfect, it was when I was tired, messy, and still chose to show up.