I awoke not feeling well physically, which always makes things worse! I had a hundred and one things to do. Everywhere I walked in my house, a mess was staring back at me. My heart was burdened for multiple friends who had just lost loved ones, were grieving anniversaries of lost loved ones, had friends or family in hospitals, or were themselves in the hospital!
Do you have these days? You must. Surely everyone can relate!
I felt so overwhelmed that I didn't even know where to start.
I heard someone say once that as a Christian, one cannot be overwhelmed...only whelmed.
I was trying to put everything in order so that I could go out of town alone with my husband for a couple of days.
Today, I am alone in a hotel room...a very quiet, calm hotel room. I am almost completely relaxed, and I have already heard the Holy Spirit speak things to me.
What a contrast of days...of emotions...of mindsets...of attitudes...of thoughts!
I am memorizing the book of James with my sons. We have talked about not being a person who is double-minded and tossed to and fro like the surf of the sea! Boy did I feel tossed yesterday! I felt way beyond whelmed.
I looked up the meaning of overwhelm on Dictionary.com:
1. to overcome completely in mind or feeling: overwhelmed by remorse.
2. to overpower or overcome, esp. with superior forces; destroy; crush: Roman troops were overwhelmed by barbarians.
3. to cover or bury beneath a mass of something, as floodwaters, debris, or an avalanche; submerge: Lava from erupting Vesuvius overwhelmed the city of Pompeii.
4. to load, heap, treat, or address with an overpowering or excessive amount of anything: a child overwhelmed with presents; to overwhelm someone with questions.
5. to overthrow.
This gave me a lot to think about.
I don't believe as a born-again child of God that my Heavenly Father will allow me to be overcome, overpowered, or crushed by the enemy. However, I do see that I can sure get myself out from under His covering to the point that something else is allowed to cover me. God gives us a way out (in fact, He gives us ways to keep us from ever getting there in the first place), but it is our responsibility to take the steps to remain in peace despite what is going down around us.
I was so mindful of all the tasks I had to do yesterday that I didn't set my thoughts and heart on what was most important. I allowed myself to be overwhelmed in my mind by thoughts.
As I read those definitions, I pictured myself under a pile of leaves and God reaching his hand in...just waiting for me to grab hold so He could pull me out.
He never leaves us without a Holy helping hand. I hope in the future I will capture my thoughts quicker and hold on to Him, not giving up or succumbing to what I can see.
Listen and be encouraged:
