by Ashleigh Beason, LPCA
Feeling overwhelmed can be an understatement this time of year. Coming off of a restful summer laying out by the pool, knocking out to do lists, spending some quality time with family, or perhaps just going from place to place visiting friends and vacationing.
Now summer is over and the school year has begun. This might bring a sense of relief because kids are now in school and you can get back into a routine. But perhaps the return to school comes with more busyness leaving you feeling overwhelmed and anxious.
Perhaps you feel overwhelmed because you got some difficult news about your health, perhaps you’re overwhelmed because you just got laid off, perhaps you’re overwhelmed because there are difficult things piling up on you and you cannot seem to get a break. Perhaps you’re feeling overwhelmed because you have too many emotions to deal with and you don’t know what to do with those emotions.
Feeling overwhelmed can feel much like anxiety which often can leave you paralyzed and not knowing what to do next. It can feel like a weight on your shoulders that you just can’t seem to shake.
When feeling overwhelmed take a deep breath. That may sound simplistic, but it’s the best place to begin. Take a deep breath, pray, and reset.
In 2 Chronicles 20 Jehoshaphat has a great army coming to overwhelm him. His immediate response is fear but then he prays. He acknowledges to God that “we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us.” (2 Chron. 20:12, English Standard Version) Then at the end of his prayer he says,
“We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” ( 2 Chron. 20:12)
Many times when we are overwhelmed we have the potential to get stuck-we let that burden keep weighing us down, we numb ourselves with distractions and staying busy, or we pretend it’s just the way things are and it will all go away soon.
But what if instead we acknowledge our powerlessness against these overwhelming situations. We might not know what to do next or what is coming around the corner, but keeping our eyes on our powerful God is the only thing we can do and the only thing that keeps us moving forward.
Jehoshaphat reminds his people that “…the battle is not yours but God’s” (2 Chron. 20:15) and this makes all the difference. Sometimes all we have to do is keep our eyes on Him and be reminded that there is nothing we can do because this is not our battle to fight but the Lord is fighting it for us.
Then before Jehoshaphat and his people knew what was going to happen with the army coming against them, “…he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him…” (2 Chron. 20: 21) Sometimes the only remedy to that overwhelming feeling is to battle back with gratitude and praise—even when it is difficult to find things to be thankful for. Gratitude is a survival mechanism. This is what destroys the enemy.
God might not change this overwhelming circumstance but He is going to change you through thanksgiving.
So when we are feeling overwhelmed, remember to breathe, reset, and keep your eyes on Him, the provider of all things who fights our battles for us. Then sing praise and give thanks with expectation knowing that God is working it for our good and His glory.
All the hard things are not going to overwhelm you if you let the goodness of God, through thanksgiving, overtake you.
Ashleigh Beason, LPCA
