Feeling Overwhelmed

“From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”  Psalm 61:2

Wow. I am so glad that my God knows me, and knows that I need Psalm 61:2 to pray through often. I love this verse. It lets me know that God knows my struggles with feeling overwhelmed. He is my rock. Only He can lead me to freedom from those feelings. He will lead me down the right path for me, so that I can deal with whatever comes my way. He will lead you down the right path for you to deal with whatever you are dealing with today. Everyone’s circumstances are different and God knows them all. He will help you find freedom in whatever way is right for you. Sometimes we may need some extra help. I just want to add that God provides help through His word, but He can also work through doctors, therapists, and counselors who can be of so much help to us when we need it. God puts people in our paths to help us. I firmly believe that. Never feel like you have to do this life on your own. Remember, you are never alone with God. And also, you have people here who can help you. God will lead you to people who can help you if you need it. I wanted to say all that at the beginning before I went any further with this post.

Are you a person who gets overwhelmed easily? Does the smallest task seem to push you over the edge sometimes? Do you feel like you just can’t do one more thing? Personally, I feel like the title of this article defines a huge percentage of my adult life. And to some extent it still does. I try really hard to cope with these feelings in a healthy way, and have gotten better over the years, but I still struggle with letting life completely overwhelm me. From responsibilities at home and at my job, all the way down to the weekly laundry and the daily cooking and dishes, I can get overwhelmed at the drop of a hat. I realize now that those feelings are a form of anxiety, and when I would continue to keep going on and on, day after day feeling that way without giving myself some form of self-care, I would eventually go into a full-on anxiety attack. It wasn’t pretty. I would get to the point where I felt simply paralyzed and  barely able to function at all!! Do any of you ever feel this way? I feel like I’m probably not alone in these feelings. As women, we feel like we have to be all things to all people in our lives. We try to do it all with no thought given to what we might need to do for ourselves. I kept thinking, what’s wrong with me? I should be able to handle everything. I’m a wife and a momma, not to mention a teacher. Why am I struggling so much? I wasn’t giving myself any grace. My physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health went backwards for a time until I realized what I needed more than anything else in the world. Grace. I had to show myself grace. Am I the greatest housekeeper in the world? No. But it’s livable. Am I the best cook? No. I do fine, but I’m not a gourmet chef. Am I the perfect wife? No. But I love him with all my heart and soul. He’s my best friend. And I’m just thankful that he has put up with me for thirty years. Am I the perfect mom? No. But I love them with all my heart and soul and would give my life for my kids. I tried my best, but I made mistakes and I own that. Am I the best teacher? No. But I love my kiddos and I give them my all when I am with them each day at school. And here is the tough one. Am I the perfect Christian? Of course not. Not even close. Not by a long shot, but I love God with all my heart and I want to be His servant. I love my sisters and brothers in Christ and I want to be in heaven with them. I love the lost and want to help them find the truth. You see, I had to stop beating myself up for every mistake I made. I had to stop looking around and comparing myself to everyone else. I had to stop thinking about everything that I wasn’t doing well enough, and start looking at everything I was doing. Were there areas where I could improve? Of course, but isn’t it that way with everyone? You see, I have figured out that the majority of my feelings of being overwhelmed were really me feeling like nothing I was doing was ever good enough. I was feeling inadequate. Everything felt like it was piling up and I didn’t know where to begin. And do you know what I was thinking? How could I let things get like this? Why did I let things pile up like this? I am a terrible wife, mom, Christian, etc., etc. Do you see how that snowballs? That had to stop! I couldn’t be effective in any part of my life if I didn’t stop that kind of perfectionist type of thinking.

So….. my sisters in Christ and friends, give yourself a break! You are doing a great job! Take a step back and look at all that you’ve done for your family and friends. You are a rock star!! And I’m talking to all women, whether you are married or unmarried, younger or older, moms or not moms. I am talking to all of you. You are amazing! God sees you! He sees all that you do! He sees your heart! So please……starting today, make time for you. May I suggest that the first thing that you do for yourself is to get into God’s word daily? Find those verses that speak to your soul and help you cope with the day to day struggles that life throws your way. Get on a daily Bible reading plan, but make your own plan. You don’t have to read the Bible through in a year. I mean if that’s the plan that works for you, then that’s fine. It works for some people. I myself cannot have something dictating how many chapters I need to read each day. That makes me feel overwhelmed in itself. I have to set my own pace and order to how I study. Find what works for you. Pray every day. Talk to God about all that is going on in your life. Lay all the struggles at His feet. Talk to Him like you would talk to a friend. That’s what I had to do! Until I began a daily routine of Bible study, journaling and prayer, I didn’t really get any better no matter what I did. I had always heard that exercise was the key to helping with those feelings of anxiety and feeling overwhelmed. And I agree with this. I try to exercise some every day. It is so very good for you physically and mentally. However, at more than one point in my life, I was exercising every day excessively, but not feeding my soul spiritually. Without spiritual food, nothing gets better. I realized that if I wanted to improve my physical, mental and emotional health, I had to first improve my spiritual health. I had to get my life right with God and get my priorities in order. 1 Timothy 4:8 tells us this, “For physical training is of some value, but godliness (spiritual training) is of value in everything and in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and for the life to come.” (I used the amplified Bible version for this verse. I thought it explained it very well. Normally, I use the NKJV.) God’s word trains us in two ways. It trains us to be better Christians as we go out into the world to influence others, and it helps us get to heaven. What more could we want? So after I got my Bible study and prayer routine in place, I began trying to implement some physical exercise into my day. If I am alone while exercising, I may listen to a Christian podcast or I may just simply listen to some of my favorite music. Are there days when I fall short in my daily routines? Yep. I am a work in progress for sure. But I know that I cannot go very long without feeding my soul. If I do, I find myself getting negative and not coping with daily life very well. And ladies, no matter what age you are, I am telling y’all this because I care about all of you, and I want you to have an easier path than I have taken. I wish that I had gotten my act together sooner. Don’t wait. Start now. If you start making Bible study and prayer a part of your daily routine now, then there will come a time when God’s word will stay with you throughout your entire day. God’s word will become a part of You if you allow it to. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:16, you will have “the mind of Christ”. This is why 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us to study! I can’t have the mind of Christ if I don’t listen to God through His word.

I would like to share with you some things that I did to help me when I was trying to establish routines with Bible study. I began to journal my prayers. I love to write and writing out my prayers really helps me when I am struggling. I can also go back and read my prayers and that helps me to see where I was emotionally on a particular day. I also have a small notebook that fits in my purse that has some go-to Bible verses that I can read during the day. I like to use different colored ink to write them in my favorite colors. It is therapeutic to me to write the verses down rather than look them up on a phone or computer. I also began praying through Bible verses like the one above, Psalm 61:2. I write them down, but I put the verse in the form of a prayer. I have grown to love doing this. Of course, I don’t do all of these every day. I do different things but almost all of them involve writing because that is what works for me. This blog is a part of my Bible study as well. It is also wonderful therapy for me. I thank you all for putting up with my ramblings. Maybe you can relate to them. 

When I am feeling overwhelmed, here are four verses that soothe my soul in that moment. I have many, many more, but I am sure you have your own favorites that soothe you in your time of need. 

“You will keep him in perfect peace,

Whose mind is stayed on You,

Because he trusts in You.

Trust in the Lord forever,

For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.”   Isaiah 26:3-4

If we focus our minds on God’s word, He will give us perfect peace. He is our everlasting strength.

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”    1 Peter 5:6-7

I love that we are able to cast all our cares on Him. Only someone who cares deeply about us would allow us to do that. And I love that He will lift us up to heaven someday, if we humble ourselves to Him. 

“But those who wait on the Lord

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint.”         Isaiah 40:31

This is one of my favorite verses to pray through. When I am feeling out of control and overwhelmed, this verse reminds me that I have to “wait” on God’s timing for things. But with God, I can have the strength and endurance that I need while I wait. I just need to calm down and wait.

“…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;”   Philippians 1:6

I love this verse because I picture God looking down at little ole imperfect, overwhelmed me, and saying that He began a good work in me and He will complete me someday when I go home to Him. I know that I am complete in Christ while I’m here on this earth but only because His blood cleanses me and makes me complete, but when God completes me on the day of judgment, I will be complete for eternity.

Sisters in Christ and friends, I hope this post has been helpful to you. It has been helpful to me to write it. It has been a tough couple of weeks for me and this has helped me cope. Just remember, you are never alone. God loves you. I love you. You are an amazing person made in the image of God. Never forget that. Thank you for reading.

God’s Plan of Salvation

If anyone ever needs help in learning the truth of the gospel, please reach out and I can help you or put you in contact with someone who can. Below is the plan that God has set forth in His word, for mankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we remain faithful in our commitment to Christ until death. (Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22)