One of the things I struggle with… is where the feeling of being overwhelmed— wants to take me.
Sure, there can be a good kind of “overwhelm”— but many times, I know it’s not such a good thing when I go into the place of being overwhelmed.
“I CAN’T GET EVERYTHING DONE. I CAN’T DO ALL THESE THINGS! I CAN’T HANDLE THIS…”
(have you ever said that? ??)
It’s so wild how the season of “rest and recovery” that I’ve had with my health, has sort of lined up with the timing of the things slowing down in the world… being at home, staying in, not doing as many things…resting…. regrouping, restructuring…
If I’m looking at the bright side of all of that, at least in my own life, I’m thankful that I had some time to recover without having so many things on my plate during that time that I had no choice but to slow down. I really did need that time…
But as it’s been time to get back to work, to get back to life, to get back out there and to “do life”…. even though I’m feeling so much better, and my health has improved tremendously, at times there is this sense of “overwhelm” from too many things that seem to pile back up very quickly.
And then when things aren’t getting done, or things aren’t going as they should, or when I’m just not able to do “all the things I need to get done”…. here comes the “overwhelm” again….
When I’m overwhelmed, it’s actually a clue that lets me know that I may be looking at “all of the things” too much, and they’ve started growing bigger and bigger and bigger from my perspective, in what I’m seeing…
I know that what I look at and focus on tends to get bigger and bigger…
This morning I am reminded of what the Lord has so graciously taught me over and over, and over again…
Even though the feeling of “overwhelm” may be swirling around me, pulling at me, and all the things blowing around me are trying to keep my attention, trying to keep my focus, trying to consume me, trying to make me think I couldn’t possibly deal with all of these things that seem SO BIG… and getting BIGGER… ?
When I’m feeling overwhelmed in this way, it lets me know that I’ve got my focus in the wrong place.
And it lets me know that I’ve come out of the eye of the storm and into the place of trying to handle and manage all of these things that are swirling around me…
And when I take my eyes off of everything that’s swirling around me in this giant, dusty, gusty wind storm… and I look to find Him…
I find Him right there… and He takes me back into the peaceful, eye of the storm with Him. ☀️
And then I can begin to see clearly again… and I begin to remember that things aren’t always as they seem…
I remember and see that Jesus is bigger than anything I could ever face. ?
Because sometimes things seem more overwhelming than they really are.
Sometimes things seem scarier than they really are.
Sometimes things seem more intimidating than they really are.
Sometimes things seem “impossible” when we look at the “bigness” of those things…
And perhaps in our own strength, those things truly are “impossible”…
But the good news is, the One who can do all things…
He lives within us. ?✨And He has promised us peace in the midst of anything we could ever be overwhelmed with.
For Him, nothing is ever too big, nothing is ever too much, no mess is ever too messy, nothing is ever too “impossible”…
And the wonderful thing is…when my perspective starts getting distorted, when things become hazy and unclear because of me trying to keep up with “all of the things” swirling around me… He helps me to see the way He sees, as He brings me back into the calm eye of the storm with Him.
I can see it now, it’s almost like a “force field” around me and Him as I place my focus on Him…as I look into His eyes. ☔️
And then He helps me to see “all the things” as they truly are—from His perspective.
And in the clearing, I remember…
And I begin to see again, that nothing is ever too impossible for Him.
All of the things are so small, really. Compared to Him.
This is what’s true, this is what’s real.
“You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.”—Isaiah 26:3
“For nothing will be impossible with God.” —Luke 1:37
Thank You, Jesus. ?When I am overwhelmed, I turn my eyes to find You, and You take me back into the eye of the storm with You, so that I can see with clarity again. You show me that “all the things” aren’t as they seem, and I begin to see that again as I look back to You, and as You take me back into the peaceful eye of the storm with You.
-Heather ?