overwhelmed
School is drawing to a close here in Colorado. Six more days for my kiddos. I have mixed feelings. I can't wait for them to be home with me, but also, yikes! Mostly I feel overwhelmed. I'm overwhelmed by programs and projects and field trips and picnics. I'm overwhelmed by decisions that have to be made and by the way I try to walk them all out to the end of time and account for all the possible outcomes. I'm overwhelmed by things I have to do and things I want to do. I'm overwhelmed by the rest I know we all need. I'm overwhelmed by the desire for a fun summer and the desire to use the bathroom by myself without any major disasters occurring while I'm in there.
Overwhelmed. It's the word that has been on replay in my head and sometimes on my lips over the past few weeks. How about you? Are you overwhelmed?
I feel like Martha. You know the one? Mary and Martha from Luke 10. Jesus comes to visit, and when Jesus visits, his twelve grown men disciples come with Him and usually other people show up, so opening up your home to Jesus was not a minor undertaking. A whole list of things needed to happen. When Martha's finds her sister Mary sitting with the guests, listening to Jesus, she is a bit miffed. I mean, come on, Mary! Would it kill you to put some cheese and crackers on a plate? When Martha confronts Jesus about her sister (oh, yes, she did), He rebukes her.
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.””
I'm distracted. I'm anxious and troubled by many things. And it's all important but it's all too much and I know there's something better. Beloved, there is something better, a good portion that we don't want to miss out on! Yes, the preparations must be made. The food must be made, the laundry must be done, but we have to have the wisdom to know when something better enters our lives, to recognize the good portion. In the midst of programs and meals and plans and keeping track of kids, it's so hard to even notice when something better is right there in our very own living room just waiting for us.
How do we clear our own vision enough to see the good portion in front of us? I wish I had it all figured out. I wish I had some tried and true formula that I could share with you here. I stand side by side with you in the battle, trying to do all the things and still experience the good portion, as life keeps throwing more at us. More expectations. More crises. More disappointments. More technology. More opportunities. More. More. More. It's terrifying at times, isn't it? But it shouldn't be.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Jesus tells us to come to Him. The world is overwhelming. Jesus will not overwhelm us with a list of things we should do or could do. We are simply to follow Him, to love like Him. Jesus doesn't tell us that we have to go to volunteer or go to all the events. He doesn't tell us that we have to sign up for every program or get our kids into all the activities. His burden is light. Does your burden feel light? Mine doesn't. My burden feels heavy enough to suffocate the air right out of my lungs. Even the good things, even the things I've designated as rest feel heavy and that's how I know that these are not His burden. I'm trying to let go, to trade all the distractions for the good portion. What would that look like for you? For me, I'm going to leave my phone on the charger. Technology is great, but I need some hard boundaries on how I'm using it. It means letting go of the guilt of not doing all the things.
One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 46. It talks about how we don't have to be afraid, even if the whole world is basically falling apart because God is our refuge and our strength.
“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.”
It almost seems out of place. Mountains are falling into the sea. The waters swell. Kingdoms totter. Nations rage. There are desolations on the earth. And yet, in all of that, be still. Keep your eye on eternity and be still. Again in Exodus 14:14, the Lord says to the Israelites, stuck between an advancing army and a vast sea, "The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." In Romans 8, Paul reminds us that we have the Holy Spirit to help us in our weakness. He says in verse 31, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" I am bad at silence and stillness. I fill my rest time with reading, writing, puzzles, word games, social media, hiking, shopping, anything but stillness, anything but silence. We need the stillness and the silence. It's the way that God created us, to need these things. He's got everything else handled. He knew we'd need specific permission and He gave it to us. We can let it all go and be still.
God also equips us to recognize the good portion even as the world attempts to overwhelm us. Paul draws us a picture of all the ways that God has equipped us in Ephesians 6 where he outlines the armor of God. He has revealed truth to us, so that we can live in light. We have been given righteousness through the sacrifice of Jesus. The gospel of peace readies us for whatever road we may travel. Faith shields and protects us from the attacks of the enemy. Our salvation in Christ gives us a new way of thinking and assures us of our identity. As we fill our minds and hearts with the Word of God, we keep our arsenal filled for times when the enemy attacks us. Regularly and prayerfully applying the armor of God in our lives will help us better identify the good portion, to see distraction and worries for what they really are.
But life is busy and hectic and overwhelming. When? When are we supposed to add another thing in. I'm struggling too. I don't think God is asking me to choose between Kindergarten graduation and spending time in His Word, but maybe Kindergarten graduation is a great opportunity to love on my kindergartener by praying for him, by meditating on and sharing a specific verse with him. If you're struggling with overwhelm, would you join me in these three things this summer?
- Prayerfully eliminate distractions.
- Be still.
- Suit up! Be in God's Word. Spend some time prayer. Meditate on the armor of God.
If you're looking for some support along the way, a band of sisters to fight along side of, consider joining me in this Facebook group for the summer!
