Scripture
Psalms 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
Reflection
Being overwhelmed is not hard during this pandemic, stay at home time. It gets frustrating for me, listening to so many different reports, and opinions. Who do I believe, when will this end, will life ever be the same?
When I feel overwhelmed, I know that I need to double down on prayer. I need to physically get myself to my church. I need to be close to the Lord.
So many things can make me feel overwhelmed, like not having kept my house as clean as I would like, not getting my clean laundry put away in a timely manner, not getting my work done on time, not getting my lawn mowed, or having to deal with finances, or technology that I don’t understand! You’ll certainly know what overwhelms you.
Things I do to get through include taking a deep breath, getting down to work, and drinking an extra glass of water. I step on the scale to make sure I know where I am at. I take a walk, I watch a favorite show, and I reach out to a friend. I also make plans to help out someone else who I know needs some help or cheering up. During a very disappointing and overwhelming time in my life, years back, I organized a letter writing project for a friend who had cancer. I managed to get other friends to send cards or letters so that the friend with cancer received mail everyday. By taking the focus off me, it helps me relax my anxiety and get myself back on track.
Overwhelmed is a very common feeling for me, but I am able to get myself in check fairly easy. When I can’t, I ask for help, I let myself cry it out, and I take some time for me.
The Lord IS my light and my salvation. Without Him, I could not be there for myself, and others. Sometimes His light is not evident, and I realize that I need to be still, to stop, and to listen.
And I remember I have so much to be thankful for.
Song
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for revealing my weaknesses in trying to carry the burden and stress of my situation. Forgive me for trying to handle it all on my own and for allowing it to consume and rob me of my peace. I know that anxiety, fear, worry, and anger are not Godly reactions.
Father, my emotions teeter on the edge when things don’t go smoothly, and I find my thoughts, and my heart are being pulled in multiple directions. Instead of approaching each event individually, I simply react to them as a whole with no resolve. I want to run away from the problem instead of facing it head-on.
Give me the wisdom and clarity to see the solution to things. Equip me with patience, wisdom, love, compassion, and guidance to be able to overcome and move forward. When I am tempted to run away and hide, I pray that your heavy conviction would be upon me, so I listen to your voice and instruction.
Help me to seek refuge and strength in your Word and to gain the right perspective over my situation. Amen.
