When Life Overwhelms

Have you ever felt like your life was a confluence of negative events with murky outcomes? I know I have at times. People often joke that bad stuff happens in threes and so it’s wise to be prepared for the worst. In reality there are times when I would welcome only three stressors to deal with at once.

Here is what I have learned.

I am still standing even though there have been times when I wondered how I would get through something.

Often I feel more powerless than I really am. In the midst of what may feel like a crisis, my emotions may tend to get the better of me. Depending on my temperament, I may either rush to action, or shut down and freeze. The solution is to calm myself down and take a little time to think things through and then take some action. Sometimes the best first action is to contact someone I trust to help me process my thoughts.

If I look at things one at a time and deal with them individually I will feel less overwhelmed.

If I let my anxious thoughts overtake me by grouping all my stressors into one big cloud of worry I am less likely to see my options. Why? The solutions to the individual problems will often need different actions. Money will only solve money problems. Reconciliation will only solve relationship issues. You get the point.

Sometimes prayer is the best and only thing I can do at the moment.

Prayer should be an ongoing action. Once I have done whatever is possible to do I must continue to surrender to God in prayer. If my child has been hospitalized and I am waiting for an outcome, I have done all I can do in the natural world. Now it is time to enter more deeply into the supernatural and pray for the power of God to intervene.

We must remember that we are not alone. As hard as it can be, we must remember to trust.

Ps 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Matt 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Jesus