Overwhelmed by Grace
Have you ever said these words?
"I'm at the end of my rope with ____!"
Even if we really, really mean it and there's an exclamation at the end, sometimes it can come out quite faint. Not faint as in unintended or shy, but faint from exhaustion.
The way I tend to handle stress - well, it's like the waiter or waitress bussing the table. I pile up the plates. It's more than I can carry but I'm strategic. I place each plate so it balances just-so on the other plate or bowl. I graciously give a closed-mouth smile to those looking my way or those adding their plate to my load.
Calm under pressure.
I've got this. What's one more? It needs to be done; I don't want to come back for this. I'll just carry it now, too.
Then, as I carry this load (that was not meant to be carried together), normal obstacles of others walking around me or doors all of a sudden seem like insurmountable odds.
But, truly, they were and are not the problem.
It's me.
I'm the one who thought I should carry all of this at once. And inevitably, the plates and saucers and forks and knives and bowls stack too high, even for the most strategic just-so balancer, and it falls.
It's not the plastic plates that fall with no consequence. These are heavy dinner plates. When it falls to the ground, it breaks. When it does, these are the words that come out:
"I'm at the end of my rope with this!"
But, I'm learning "at the end of my rope" is the best place for me to be.
Paul said it this way,
My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. - 2 Corinthians 12:9
Staring at the end of the rope, we're face-to-face with our weakness, aren't we?
I'll admit this openly about myself just in case it resonates with a small part inside you: This is a life verse for me. One of those verses I recall often. One I should recall daily. Because my natural tendency is the opposite of this verse. My natural tendency is self-sufficiency, not wanting to admit I need help.
And if you're like me, we know how this ends up:
We become overwhelmed.
This is a feeling of which none of us are immune. What we're overwhelmed by can and does range far and wide, but the feeling, oh, we know this.
This Fall, we're taking some time to hear from some friends and their experience with this, specifically, being overwhelmed by:
Grief
Insecurity
Worry
Doubt
Anxiety - the small but gnawing kind and the monsoon panic attacks alike
Past and differences in marriage
We'll learn what role prayer plays in all of this as well as how to steward our emotions well.
Friend, whatever you feel overwhelmed by, know the same God who calmed the waters with a word is ready and able to bring you peace right now in the midst of your storm.
May we anchor close to Him and find He is our strength. He is our joy, yes He has joy for us even here. He is our peace. Peace we cannot explain. May we rest in the power of His presence and choose this day and the next faith over fear. May we choose to come quickly to the end of our ropes and be overwhelmed by His grace which meets us there as we cry out, "Lord, I need you."
The good life, well it starts with a good day. Then another. Then another. Let's choose to live #TheGoodDay one day at a time.
I love hearing from you, so go ahead. Leave a comment. Be brave. Maybe your comment will speak life into someone else!