“From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Psalm 61:2
Welcome to my proverbial front porch here online. So glad you’ve stopped by for a bit.
Today, I just wanted to write a bit about overwhelm. Ever been there? I’m sure you have, as well as anyone else who breathes and lives on this earth has. It’s part of life. I get that, but can’t we all agree that sometimes we wish it weren’t so?
Sometimes we think, “I could never get tired of _____!” (You fill in the blank.) As much as we’d like to think we wouldn’t, even good, and “the best” things, can become overwhelming if given enough time and space.
Think about it, how long does it take for a a carton of Rocky Road (or your favorite go-to) ice cream to become too much? You say never? Yet, how many spoonfuls of the sweet stuff can we devour before we need something salty? Just a thought, understand I’m not recommending we give it a try to prove the point. Or what about house guests? Nice at first, right, but how long before they feel like house pests instead? See what I mean?
Too much of a good thing can eventually no longer seem to be a good thing.
If good things can give us that overwhelm, it’s really quite understandable that bad situations can also bring us this hopeless feeling of overwhelm, right?
I’m going to be transparent here. My husband and I had it quite rough this weekend. We were short-tempered, frustrated, feeling inadequate, lonely and hurting emotionally. Times like these pop up here and there on this journey of grief we travel. We talked about it and both admitted we let our overwhelm get the best of us. Our demeanors were altered, attitudes not quite up to par and...overall, well just in a slight state of overwhelm. It happens, folks.
So many factors and situations can play into overwhelming emotions. What brings you down might not bring me down and vice-versa. What frustrates me might not phase you in the least bit. That doesn’t mean one of us are responding incorrectly: it means we are created differently, but still in the same framework, and by the same God.
We want to force ourselves to be normal and plaster a smile on our face, but it just isn’t there. We want to talk, but everything comes out in a jumbled mix or seems to be way too much pressure so we remain quiet. We want to reach out to others for support, but want to be left alone too. Overwhelm is difficult to describe and possibly even recognize at first. We often wonder what in the world is wrong with us way before we figure it out. Simply too much!
During our emotional weekend, we ended up out at our hunting grounds. When we drove to our stopping point and got out of the truck, we looked around and were surrounded by many, many buzzards sitting on a ledge we had to cross. I was bewildered by how many there were and tried snapping a quick picture. Talk about too much! They began flying haphazardly all around and seemingly right above our heads. Overwhelm.
I think this is a perfect picture of overwhelm without the assurance that God is our Rock and that we can run to Him for safety. There was nowhere to hide from these vultures, we didn’t know which way they were coming or going, they are ugly and detestable, and we wanted no part of them. Yet, they kept flying about and distracting us. Doesn’t that sound like certain situations of overwhelm we experience at times in our lives?
Whenever we’re overwhelmed we often can’t get to where we need to be on our own.
We’re weary and in a weakened, discouraged state; we need another’s help to lead us to safety. The Lord is our constant Helper. He gently picks us up, knocks the dust off our clothes, tends our wounds and strengthens us for yet another try.
One comforting thing about overwhelm is that God sees us right where we are. He sees right smack into the middle of our ugly and doesn’t run away. On the contrary, He beckons us to Him. He desires to hold us, to comfort us, to give us strength and help us move forward.
When we are overwhelmed, let’s encourage each other to run to the Rock. It’s our place of security and a place we can find rest. Have we ever really been harmed in the arms of God? I’d dare say we’ve not. When we hide ourselves in Him, the overwhelm may not immediately go completely away but because He is present, we can rest and trust He will help us through it.
Overwhelm isn’t our downfall or our final destination. It’s kind of like the “fear nots” in the Bible. Gods knew we would fear, so He encourages and instructs us multiple times in His Word not to fear. The same with overwhelm; He knew without a doubt that we’d experience it at times, so He let someone suggest the perfect solution.
So, I won’t tell you not to be overwhelmed by things in this life. You will be. I won’t tell you you’re weak for allowing it to happen in the first place. You’re not. I won’t suggest that you’re not praying enough or that you’re not walking by faith. That’s not always the case. No, those buzzards just show up without warning sometimes. Instead, what I’d hope to do for you, and what I’d hope you’d do for me too, is to lead the way to the Rock.
Anyone want to join me today? Anyone feeling overwhelmed? Anyone out there desperate for rest and security? There’s only one place to find it, let’s go there together.
Be encouraged ~