Feeling overwhelmed?
Do you ever have those days where you just feel overwhelmed? It’s not necessarily any one major thing that bothers you but maybe several little things just all piling up. I’ve had a few of those days recently. When they happened I’ll tend to beat myself up because I start to tell myself, “Why should I be upset? They’re just little things. I should be able to handle this better. What’s the matter with you, Tracy!?”
I’ll give you a recent example…
Eric’s been traveling a lot lately with his new job. He’s loving it, which is awesome, but unfortunately it has put a little bit of extra responsibility and stress on me. I have a whole new respect for single moms now! Major props to all of you out there!! Anyhow, on days that I teach at the college Eric used to pick the kids up for me. Now, I have to make arrangements for others to pick them up. Not a big deal, right?
Kid pick-up
Well, on Wednesdays it’s a little bit more of an ordeal. This semester I don’t get out of class on Wednesdays until 3:30. It’s about a 30 minute drive from the college to pick my kids up. So now it’s 4:00 by the time I get them (or even later if a student happens to corner me after class like this past week). Then it takes me a few minutes to load them up and another 15 minutes to get back home. Now, we’re arriving home around 4:45-5:00.
Church youth group
I volunteer as a small group leader for our youth group every Wednesday, so I have to be at church for a meeting at 6:00. It takes at least 30 minutes to get there, which means I need to leave my house by 5:30. Actually, I need to leave even earlier than that when Eric is out of town because before my meeting I have to take my daughter, who’s not old enough for youth yet, to the church childcare which is in a separate building. THEN…if my son has invited any friends to come to youth group with him (as he usually does each week), I need to add on an extra 30 minutes to be able to drive to pick them up. Basically, that means that now I need to leave my house no later than 5:00.
Isn’t it AWFUL that on some Wednesdays I secretly hope that his friends can’t come?!
A lot on my “plate”, but no time for dinner
Arriving home at 5:00 and needing to leave at 5:00 means there is no time to make or eat dinner. Fortunately they feed us at church (although it’s not my preference because it’s usually something unhealthy). This past Wednesday, I had a few other issues that I was trying to deal with throughout the day too, and I had gotten my feelings hurt by 3 different people that same day. So those were also all weighing on me. Needless to say, by this point I was feeling a little stressed and overwhelmed.
Are so many texts/messages really so necessary?
In the midst of all of the rushing and driving all over town, my phone was blowing up with texts and messages (and honestly it was like that ALL DAY LONG too up to this point—insert forehead slap). In the process of driving, I received a total of 16 GroupMe messages and 6 text messages all dinging alerts repetitively and sporadically (which in hindsight I should have silenced). Additionally, they all contained either important and immediate pertinent information (that I missed because I was driving) OR asked questions wanting immediate answers (which I couldn’t respond to because, again, I’m driving).
By the time I got to church, I was running late for my meeting. I was frustrated and overwhelmed by all of the messages and texts that I now didn’t have time to read. I had to frantically grab a piece of pizza and shove it in my mouth as I rushed to meet a new leader that I was starting to train. The meeting had changed to a different location which I missed because it was in one of those messages that I couldn’t read while driving. I also failed to answer some time-sensitive questions.
A hot mess
At this point I was honestly a wreck. I was almost to the point of tears. How could I let myself get so worked up about so many small things? I felt like a pure and utter failure. How was I supposed to be a spiritual leader and mentor a group of 15 9th grade girls, when I was a flustered mess myself? Truthfully, I just wanted to turn around, go back home, and go to bed.
What happened next…
Then in our meeting one of the pastors starting sharing that the staff had been experiencing spiritual warfare all day. I wanted to yell out, “You too?!” All of a sudden I had the realization that this sense of being overwhelmed was just spiritual warfare. All of the “little things” this day were just situations orchestrated by Satan to bring me to the point of surrender. When we feel overwhelmed we want to give up.
This past Wednesday night our youth messages were extremely powerful and impactful. Satan knew that if we were successful in delivering our messages and being there for these kids, that it would change lives. He wanted to try to stop us, and to stop me, from being effective. At that point I saw what was going on and recognized that I was in a spiritual battle. I felt a gentle reminder to hang in there, to not give up, and to look to the Lord for my strength.
Strength renewed
Another reminder came to mind. Previously when my kids were sick and Eric was out of town, I was again feeling pretty overwhelmed. Ashley, one of my leaders at church, and some friends were very encouraging to me. During that time, she and a couple of my friends reminded me of these verses in Isaiah:
“He gives to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:29-31 (NIV)
This encouraged me not to be so hard on myself when I get overwhelmed because “even youths grow tired and weary.” These scriptures also reminded me that I was trying to rely on my own strength and do everything myself instead of looking to God for my support. Of course I’ll grow weak and not be able to handle things on my own and in my own strength! I need God’s grace. Beth Jones calls grace “a tangible deposit of God’s ability and strength into your life”. I needed, and still need, this deposit of God’s ability and strength.
**Check out this Prayer for Strength and this list of scriptures about strength.
Joy brings strength
Ashley also reminded me that the devil would try to steal my joy because strength can come from joy. She encouraged me that when I was feeling overwhelmed to try and find joy in a situation.
“And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!” Nehemiah 8:10 (NLT)
Don’t give up
Later that night, I woke up in the middle of the night unable to go back to sleep. I decided to get up, make myself a cup of tea, and pour my heart and tears out to God for a while. I vented about how overwhelmed and tired I had been and my temptations to give up. Expressing to God the feelings of this spiritual warfare, I told him about my temptations to give up in so many different areas…including this blog.
As I was sitting there in the dark, Galatians 6:9 popped into my head.
“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” Galatians 6:9 (NLT)
God was telling me not to give up.
Put on the armor of God…and Stand!
I also kept thinking of the word “stand”. Then the passage in Ephesians 6 came to mind where it describes putting on the armor of God and the need to take a stand against the devil.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” Ephesians 6:10-13 (NIV)
Notice we are encouraged to be strong in the Lord and in HIS power, not our own. Additionally, “stand” is repeated here multiple times. The devil wants us to throw in the towel, turn and run, but God wants us to stand. It was once pointed out to me that when listing the armor of God (Ephesians 6:14-18) it mentions nothing about armor on our back. This is because we are meant to face forward, and our weapons are intended for frontal attack and defense. Our backs only show if we are retreating, and we are even more vulnerable in this position. We need to stand and face the enemy head on, and we don’t have to do it with our own strength.
Now it’s your turn!
Take Some Practical Steps When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed:
- Recognize spiritual warfare. The devil might be trying to stop you from making an impact somewhere or with someone. Try to be aware of some ways that the devil might attack you—it might even be with lots of little, seemingly insignificant things. (Read more here in this post, Study the Devil.)
- Don’t beat yourself up when you feel overwhelmed. Remember even youths grow tired and weary.
- Call on the Lord to renew your strength and replace it with His. Boldly approach the throne of God and ask Him for a deposit of His grace, His ability, and strength. Stop trying to rely on your own strength. Humble yourself, and ask God for grace.
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV)
“For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!” Romans 5:17 (NIV)
“And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’” James 4:6 (NLT)
- Find joy in your situation. Joy brings strength. The joy of the Lord is your strength. Joy is a fruit of the spirit. If you have the spirit of God inside of you, then you can find a way to muster up some joy. Think of something you are thankful for. Find a way to laugh. Don’t let the devil steal your joy!
- Don’t give up. When you grow weary, tired and overwhelmed, just don’t give up. Your blessing and relief might just be right around the corner. Remember God’s promise to you that if you don’t give up or grow tired of doing what is good, you will reap a harvest of blessing at just the right time.
- Put on the armor of God and stand. Remember that you don’t have armor on your back. If you give up, retreat and run, you make yourself more vulnerable to attack and harm. Stand against the devil. Stand firm. And remember that you are not standing in your own strength—you are standing in God’s.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Tell us about it by leaving a comment below.
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