For when you’re overwhelmed – Part 3

They may not be spiritual, but they are essential to helping us stay above water.

When I find myself overwhelmed by my responsibilities, I always have to take a step back and take inventory. I ask myself a series of questions to help me identify the root of the problem. From the answers, I can often navigate my way to shallower waters or even dry land once again. So jot these down and then sit with the Lord to see how they might help you cope: 

1. When was the last time I didn’t feel overwhelmed?
2. What has changed since that moment? (Did I take on something new? Did an event occur that shifted new responsibility to me involuntarily?)
3. Is this change permanent, long-term, or near-term?
4. What can I do to remediate the situation I’m in? Anything?
5. Who might be able to help me if I’m willing to ask?

Recalling the last time I wasn’t gasping for air helps me remember that God is in control of the waters of my life, and that He can create dry land for me again. It settles my heart and I’m then able to address the rest of the questions.

Figuring out the answer to number two is pivotal. Quite often I can identify when the tide shifted and I became convinced I couldn’t stay afloat in my life. Sometimes I made an impulsive decision and took on too much. That’s when Isaiah’s words seem particularly relevant:

Oh, that you had listened to my commands! Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea.  — Isaiah 48:18 NLT

When I fail to commit my plans to the Lord in prayer — or don’t pause to heed what He’s told me in the past about my threshold for “how much is too much” — I won’t have peace like a gentle river. I stop and confess my failure to the Lord and begin the process of praying through how to meet the demands honorably.

Other times, things simply occurred that brought more to my plate than I felt I could handle. For example, a child’s emotional or physical needs escalating, a crisis at work, or dealing with the aftermath of a large car accident. When I’m aware that the situation isn’t a result of my own deliberate actions/decisions, I submit myself in trust to His sovereignty and permissive will. And I ask for enough faith to bear up under it.

By guessing at how long the current circumstances might endure, I am better able to determine my course of action, answering questions four and five. If it’s a permanent situation, one I can’t alter, then I know I need to make some changes in other aspects of my life since it’s impossible to tread water forever. Long-term demands will have similar ramifications. When I see that my problem is short-term, just knowing the horizon exists I can often find a way to cope until I reach the shore.

Sometimes there’s nothing I can do to alleviate the problem. In those instances, simply going through this exercise drives me towards the Lord, pressing deeper into Him to keep me above water.

He hasn’t failed me yet.