How to Overcome What Overwhelms
Taking positive steps and fighting back with truth
We have a lot going on. I can confidently speak for all of us because I know that we do and I think you’d agree.
While there are events we can shave off our schedule and activities we can say no to, there are just some things that are non-negotiable. There are just some things that have to be done and they have to be done by us.
Why?
Because other people depend on us and we have responsibilities and commitments and all the other adulting stuff we didn’t necessary sign up for but comes with the bundle.
We become Overwhelmed, but become is a deceiving word. It’s not like we are fine one day than become overwhelmed the next. It sneaks up slow and takes us down fast but it’s been building in us for quite some time. Like the flu.
Our own coping mechanisms keep us in functioning mode for a time, but most wind up causing more harm than good — like eating an entire pizza (OK, maybe six pieces out of eight and I think I just gave myself away).
Perhaps for you it’s eating nothing at all, or snapping like a turtle, or turning back to old habits.
You’d think we’d go right to prayer, right to the source of true help.
You’d think we’d be more prepared because we know life doesn’t happen one thing at a time and even if we are good at multi-tasking (which I discovered is nothing to be proud of and you can read about that here), it becomes a multi-blast of all at once.
If we look closer at what overwhelms there’s usually a root. Deep under those feelings of upside down and inside out lies a root well-hidden beneath over-committed, overworked, overemotional, overtired — and it threatens to overtake us like weeds in a garden.
Worse yet, like kudzu. You may know what kudzu is but in case you’re asking…
What is kudzu?
“Kudzu kills or damages other plants by smothering them under a solid blanket of leaves, encircling woody stems and tree trunks, and breaking branches or uprooting entire trees and shrubs. Once established, kudzu grows at a rate of one foot per day; mature vines can be 100 feet long. To successfully control kudzu, its extensive root system must be completely eradicated…” — The Nature Conservancy
I’d say the image says it all. No wonder we become almost unrecognizable to others and to ourselves when we are overwhelmed — we are under a solid blanket of the joy-killing, overwhelming kudzu of life.
True, it could simply be a season of juggling schedules, changing and growing, making decisions to stay or go.
It may be just hectic normalcy, but maybe it is that deeper kind of root. The kind of root that messes with our foundation — regret, resentment, unforgiveness, bitterness, worry, fear, unresolved you name it…
Roots Run Deep
If we dig deep and if we are real about what’s real, we can face this root. Only then can we completely eradicate it, but we can’t conquer it alone. That’s half our problem right there. We try to fix everything ourselves until we end up looking like one of those strange, unrecognizable blobs in that kudzu photo.
According to Merriam Webster the origin of overwhelm is this:
Middle English, from over + whelmen-to turn over, cover up
And the meaning?
to cover over completely : submerge
to overcome by superior force or numbers
to overpower in thought or feeling
The root cause of an overwhelmed soul builds like a tsunami to submerge, overcome, and overpower us. It forces its way into our minds and our thoughts — but only if we allow it.
Because you see, I have good news. We don’t have to succumb to those overwhelming thoughts and we don’t have to allow those thoughts to take us under because God has promised this:
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you.” Isaiah 43:2
And once we pull the weeds and face the root of what overwhelms us Jesus can cause that overwhelm to whither from the root up. Just like that fig tree in Mark 11. Ask and you shall receive and asking for His help activates faith and sets deliverance in motion.
When we set our minds on the right track our lives can transform from overwhelming to rewarding.
We can take back our lives through Christ and counteract defeating behaviors with these positive steps:
- Pray it out — God already knows and praying it out brings the root to the light. God can help us cut through the kudzu and eradicate it. Ask for help.
- Talk it out — with a sibling, a parent, a trusted friend, a Christian counselor. Ask for help.
- Write it out — Did you know keeping a journal can be healing? Journal it. Write your experiences down on paper. Write prayers. Ask for help.
- Walk it out — exercise has physical benefits and also stimulates brain chemicals that help to relax and uplift. Walk with a friend. Ask for help.
Don’t forget to rest when needed. The Energizer Bunny is a fictional character.
God’s plans for us override what overwhelms because He brings us Hope. He is our hope. His grace covers us, but not like a suffocating blanket of kudzu, His grace covers us with peace and His grace is the breath of life.
When we learn this truth and live this truth, our eyes will be open to others who need to learn it and live it, too. What better person to tell them than one who’s been there?
We were made for more than just existing. We were not an afterthought to God. We were a forethought, actually because not only did He knit us together in our mother’s womb, He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.
How about we put a spin on overwhelm and let this truth sink in:
But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37 NASB
Even when we’re feeling uncertain about the future we can smile at it, because God is certain and He holds the future in His hands.
“…and she laughs without fear of the future.” Proverbs 31:25b NLT
Draw strength from this truth when overwhelm comes knocking.
Has this truth encouraged you? Have you felt overwhelmed lately?
Share your thoughts…
Can I send you something?
