Overwhelmed

Overwhelmed...it is the word that first comes to my mind when things aren't going well, or I'm having a rough day.  My emotions often get the best of me and the battle for Truth in my mind is like waging war.  In all honesty, I feel like I fail more times then I succeed.  I find myself letting those emotions rule my heart and my thoughts and let Truth get swallowed up by them.  Empty, broken, and depleted are words that often describe my feelings after I succumb to the overwhelming feeling.  And the truth is, as a believer, I should never feel this way.

I am currently reading a book called Loving the Little Years (highly recommend), and in it, Rachel (the author), talks about how she often used that very same word and decided she had to eradicate from her vocabulary.  Why? Because as a Christian, we should never be overwhelmed.  The definition of the word itself goes against everything a Christian is called to be.  Merriam Webster describes it as, "to overpower in thought or feeling".  That means, when I say I am overwhelmed, I am in essence saying that whatever it is that is overwhelming me has overpowered me.  Whether it be emotions, tasks, mothering, cleaning, to-do lists, you name it...none should ever overwhelm us as believers. How? He has given us His daily sufficient grace!  And it is that grace that equips and enables us to walk every moment of every day, in the good and the rough.

I was so encouraged and challenged by what Rachel has done, by removing that word and idea from her mind all together, that I too am seeking to do the same.  When I am tempted to believe that I am overwhelmed, I will remember Truth, and that I have just the grace I need, to get through it all, every moment of every day...until He calls me home.