He awkwardly settled into my office chair and gave me “that look”. That look that speaks volumes without words. That look that said, You’re probably not going to like what I’m about to say.
He was right. I didn’t like it.“We’ve been acquired by another company and I’m not sure how long we will have jobs. I’m so sorry.”
I sunk down in my chair; my head swirling. The words that followed were barely audible. But, it didn’t really matter what else he had to say. This single mom had already taken his words and shaped them into a gloom and doom scenario.
I know the drill in an acquisition … Human Resources is the first to go. But, I can’t lose my job. What will happen to the kids and me? I love this job and these people!
In an instant, I felt my security and my future slipping through my fingers.
The days that followed were a whirlwind. I was flown to another city and began reporting to a new boss. I worked hard to make great first impressions and to fit into a new culture. At night I studied into the wee hours memorizing new policies and procedures.
With barely a moment to quiet my thoughts, fear slithered in and captured my heart. And before I realized it, I had become completely overwhelmed.
The dictionary defines overwhelmed as “an overpowering or excessive amount of anything”.
Anything!
Anything can become overwhelming if it’s in excess or if we let it overpower us.
In that situation, fear and uncertainty began to overpower me. It began to drown out God’s voice and His power within me.
I had become overwhelmed with my circumstances and under-wowed with my God.
Ouch! That one hurt.
But how do we get under-wowed with God? I mean, He simply touched the sick and they were healed. He spoke a raging sea into calm waters. He willed the dead to life.
Those are “WOW” events. And I believe every one of them.
Perhaps it’s the familiarity that creates the disconnect. Familiarity can be a slippery slope – it can easily breed complacency.
We can repeatedly read passages that speak about His miracles, His kindness, and His compassion. But do we really savor them? Are we still wowed by them?
Revelation 2:4b tells us our hearts can depart from the love we first had for God. Meaning, we can depart from that “first love” passion we had when God first touched our hearts.
Our love relationship with Him, the wow-factor, can diminish if we don’t hold tight to it.
Then we begin to go down the path of independence; trying to rely on ourselves instead of God. Once that happens fear usually sets in and we find ourselves spiraling away from the wisdom, peace, and joy we found in Christ.
We need to flip this around.
We need to be overwhelmed with our God and under-wowed with our circumstances.
Here are 5 truths that get me back on track when I feel my heart has departed.
Spend Time In His Creation:
Romans 1:20 reminds us that God’s divine power is undeniably evident in nature. It’s no wonder I am ALWAYS renewed and reconnected when it’s just God, me, His creation and my journal. He is always present in His creation and I always find Him when I take time to linger there a while.
Slow Down:
The truth about multitasking is that we aren’t doing anything well. We must spend quality time seeking God if we expect to hear His word, feel His presence, and gain His power. This isn’t an easy task in today’s fast-paced world, I know. I’m trying to be disciplined about doing one thing at a time, in every aspect of my life.
Talk To Him … A Lot:
We are instructed to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). That means all the time and about everything. Every prayer doesn’t have to be a long, deep, here-come-the-tears prayer. He loves to hear our everyday chatter.
Get On Our Knees:
There is something about coming to Him with not only a humble heart but also in a humble posture. We can get comfy in our quiet time, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But there are times we should allow our knees to feel a little pain.
Share What He’s Done:
We have a unique and powerful journey that’s meant to be shared. That’s why God tells us we can’t do this life alone. We need the encouragement and support of others and we need to be encouraging and supportive as well. We remember what we share.
These five truths carried me through that time of uncertainty and continue to mold me today.
I’m still with the company that bought us out and they’ve given me more opportunities than I could have ever imagined. What I thought was gloom and doom was actually God providing. Consequently, His provision allowed me to grow both professionally and personally.
What a great lesson! God is always bigger than our circumstances.
Ponder
What situations cause you to be overwhelmed? How do you regain your passion and peace? Please share your challenges and victories in the comments below. You are not alone. Truly, we need your encouragement today!
Practice
A Truth: “As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with awe and ran to greet Him.” Mark 9:15
A Song: Overwhelmed by Big Daddy Weave (Click here to listen)
A Read: Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan
A Prayer: Lord, let me re-kindle that first love for you. I ask that you ignite my heart to the wonders of who you are and what you have done. Let your love would overwhelm my heart and under-wow my circumstances so I have peace in whatever this world throws at me. For I know you are bigger than my circumstances. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Such a great post and wonderful thruths. I’m overwhelmed by sharing custody of my children. This overwhelms me and I must remember that placing faith in God is above all. He has never ceased to wow me in the past, why am I so worried now and over and over. Thank you for this. I love these 5 truths. Have a blessed and beautiful week. Thank you for linking up to Open Mic Monday at Cisneros Cafe.
Oh, my friend; I was there as well. God will see you through it if you bring Him into it. The divorce brought us to a Christian school and we were all saved! There is beauty in the ashes when God touches it. Blessings to you in your journey.
Beautiful reminder for us to remember the Awesome God who loves us Pam! We must take comfort knowing that He is never surprised by anything that takes place in our lives and He promises it will work out for our own good. It may not seem like it at the time when I get that unexpected notice in the mail or email. So I’m learning not to “panic” but like you said,” go to God in Prayer”. I ask Him want does He want me to learn from this. First and foremost He wants me to TRUST Him. Thank you for the beautiful reminder of our Savior’s love. I really needed to read this post this morning. Thank you for sharing my friend. Have a wonderful weekend and may God bless you and yours!
Hello, my friend! I agree…I think He chuckles when we say things are a coincidence. So glad these words ‘hit the spot’ for you today. Grateful for your words of wisdom.
Just as you sat under wowed , indeed let us look to the Lord when we are overwhelmed and wait expectantly because God Is Able!!!!!
Yes He is!!
Wow, that is truly a situation where overwhelm would happen to me! When we feel like our kids might not be provided for, well, that hits you at your core. Thank you for sharing your story. So glad it has turned out well for you.
I appreciate the point, “The truth about multitasking is that we aren’t doing anything well.” So true, though I still try to do it all sometimes.
I found your post at Grace and Truth. Glad I did. 🙂
Ha! I’m a victim of multi-tasking, too. It’s a journey. Thanks for stopping by!
I love this post. It speaks to the heart of why we get overwhelmed in the first place, and offers sound biblical counsel about how to right our perspective. I’m so glad you shared this with us at Grace & Truth! I’m honored to feature it at A Divine Encounter on Friday.
Thank you, Jennifer. So grateful for your kind words and your support!
These are encouraging truths that we all need to hold near. Just this week I told my husband that if one particular bad thing happened, I’d be done for. But that’s not true: no matter what happens, God will always have my back! Thanks for reminding me to speak God’s truth over myself, not lies.
Speaking His truth over ourselves is such a great discipline. I carry a 3×5 spiral in my purse with verses I can use at a moment’s notice to speak truth over myself. I hashtag the top of each page so I can quickly find what I need. It’s been a great resource.
Great post, this past week I felt so overwhelmed with life and everything but God pointed out to me how I had to focus on Him rather than my current circumstances. The Israelites when they faced the Philistine army focused on how big Goliath was and so were afraid. David however focused on God and Goliath became defeated. Like you said focusing and connecting with God makes the difference between defeat and victory, fear and faith.
So true! Thanks for stopping by. Hopefully, you got a little less overwhelmed today.
“I had become overwhelmed with my circumstances and under-wowed with my God.” I have been there too many times. May we be so wowed with Him that we are underwhelmed by our circumstances. 🙂 KkThank you for sharing these words as part of the #RaRaLinkup today.
Amen! I think we have all been there at some point.
well said! under wowed is ridiculous yet I sit in that ridiculousness far too often! blessings from CA Next to you at the sunday blog hop which I just discovered. xxs
Me, too! I definitely haven’t mastered it yet. But love the lessons when I’m there. Thanks for stopping by!
I love how you put God above all else here. It isn’t always easy to do so when fear and anxiety of the unknown creeps in. Such an inspiring post. Thank you for sharing on Party at My Place. I’m so happy you joined us.
Thanks for the opportunity to linkup, Michelle!
Well said, Pam! I love the title of this piece….Overwhelmed and Under-Wowed! I trust the Lord has worked all things together for good for you.
Thanks, my friend!
Great post, Pam, and I always wondered what a Morkie was. Reading your ‘about’ page, now I know.
I’m pretty overwhelmed by circumstance, too, and God seems pretty absent sometimes. Dying hurts. A lot. Both physically and emotionally, and ‘imagining’ Heaven doesn’t really make it better.
But I do believe, because, well, falling back onto the question “is all this God stuff true?”, I have to conclude, looking at the evidence, that it is.
Jesus lived, Fact, independently confirmed.
There are NO good explanations for Creation aside from the existence of a Creator. Putting the development of the fruit fly, much less man, on ‘cosmic ray mutation’ is a laughable disregard of probability and statistics (and I have an engineering PhD).
For the Apostles to ‘fake’ Jesus resurrection makes no sense. They had nothing to gain, and a lot to lose by following that path.
And speaking of the Apostles, they would have had to have been quite mad to accept death-by-torture for a faith that they knew, or suspected, to be false. There is nothing in the Gospels, or in Paul’s writing, that suggests that.
Using Occam’s Razor, the best explanation is that God is real, Jesus is His Son, who died for our sins and was raised from the dead. Period.
So even when it hurts so much that I can’t in my HEART easily believe, I still know it’s true.
Sorry for the long-winded comment. If the Morkie’s restless, read it to him. He might go to sleep from boredom.
#5 at FMF this week
http://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2016/01/your-dying-spouse-103-fmf.html
Morkies are the best!! You have such an incredible story. And yes, God is real and with us always. Thanks so much for stopping by!
You are choosing the best part – when I was a single mom I took a leave of absence from my heavenly Father – trust me, it wasn’t good. We are neighbors today at Kate’s FMFparty!
Hi Neighbor! I’ve done the same … and yes, never a good thing. So grateful for His faithfulness.
Hi Pam, I am so amazed how we can be drained with so much chores and busyness. The busyness has become a bondage.
Friend I am also learning to take intentional breaks away from loudness.
This is just what I needed to hear.
Many Blessings to you, Pam.
Hello, my friend! I love that you call it “loudness”. That’s perfect! Thanks so much for stopping by. Blessings to you in the journey!
Wow! What a great reminder! Feeling overwhelmed can definitely derail us; however, you expressed to me and reminded me the power of your 5 truths. Which for me is obedience! Getting on my knees is one I need to do more often and its a great eye opener! My favorite I must say is spending time in His creation…..His earth is breathtaking and there is something very powerful in that. Thank you so much for this article. I will be memorizing the 5 truths for sure! Super clever phrase! “overwhelmed and under-wowed” easy to remember! Loved it!, some powerful stuff girl!!!
Love you 🙂
Such sweet words, my friend. So glad my helps help you!
“He loves to hear our chatter.” Well-said my friend. This is so true. It reminds me of long conversations you have when you first start dating or when your kids begin to express themselves clearly – it’s just awesome to hear them. My Heavenly Father never gets tired of what I have to say – I find tremendous comfort in this truth. Thanks Pam💜
I love your comparison to young kids. Jesus said to come to Him the way a child would, and that means a lot of chatter!! Thanks for this my sweet friend.
I am on the flip side of what you wrote….work is abundant & steady, money as well, but at the very cost you are mentioning. I guess I’ve worked my way onto that slippery slope.
First, the haste. I find myself in that multi-tasking mode where quality is sacrificed. It is a zone you get in…and once you do…it is hard to slow down and step away. The haste has becomes a reflection of what has happened to my connection to God and as a result, the inner peace he brings. It has been to some degree compromised.
Second, the result of haste…the waste: My focus, shifted ever so slightly, but slightly enough to affect the quality of my prayer, devotion, praise and service due to focusing on the material. Much is being neglected in my life and soul…and in more than my soul…in the needs of others close to me. The prayer requests from friends and family come in droves daily..and I am not responding as I should. The holidays cause needs to surface..emotional, spiritual, financial…and I am not responding to those requests and needs from others as I normally would.
I am thankful for your insight Pam, and that you share it so well. I needed more than ever to read this and to reflect where I am at. I know there is no coincidence, there is only God; that I read today what you wrote applies precisely to the moment…..and In response, I have both Xmas and New Year’s weekends free, by request (believe it or not) and will disconnect from the grind…retreat physically from the workplace, take time to reconnect with God, seek his forgiveness, and do the very things the Spirit has been telling my heart it ought to do.
God bless, merry xmas.
Thank you for sharing, Javier. I’ve been there. A time or two, or three… We definitely have to be intentional in our pursuit and in our relationship with God. One thing I have learned through times of disconnect is how gentle and loving He is upon my return. He never meets us with a turned back or a harsh word. We are always met with love and grace. And so our times of disconnect, while not desirable, can be fruitful in the end. Praying for you! Hope you have a great Christmas!
Visiting here for the first time from Essential Fridays. Connecting with Creation has always been my go-to way to get back in the right frame of mind when it comes to recognizing God’s greatness. Psalm 8 says it all. I also love how you connect your thoughts to other resources, including music. What a blessing! I hope you have a very merry Christmas!
So glad you stopped by, Amanda! His creation never fails me either. So grateful for these glorious displays of God!
Phew – memories! I also worked in HR, and I also went through an acquisition shortly after my husband and I had married . . . and he had quit his job to go back to school. So thankful to hear your testimony of God’s faithfulness during those tumultuous days! For us, this was a good early lesson in realizing that it was not my job that was providing for us, but God Himself.
Great lesson, Michele. He is our provider and it’s through the trials we learn that and can rely on it. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Pam,
Welcome to Thought-Provoking Thursday! I am waving hello from just a little north of you in Fort Lauderdale. I so enjoyed visiting your blog today and look forward to reading more encouragement from you in the days ahead.
Blessings,
Lyli
I can’t believe I found someone actually near me! Thank you for the kind words about the blog. I enjoyed Thought Provoking Thursday and appreciate the opportunity to linkup with you and the others.
Under-wow’ed, what a great way of stating it. Good post, thank you for sharing. #livefreeThursday
Thanks for stopping by, Michelle! I love #livefreeThursday.
What a fantastic post! “Under-wowed” – such a great description. It’s so easy to sink into the familiarity and stop noticing the wonder! I often think of when I first moved to Arizona. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the surrounding mountains and sunsets. A time came, where I forgot to even notice them. I began being more intentional about noticing the wonder around me which helped to bring to life my wonder for our God of Wonders!
I was so blessed here today!!!
I know the feeling! I’ve lived close to the ocean all my life but can take it for granted sometimes. Now it’s my go-to place to be in awe of His wonders. So glad you dropped by, Lori!
Pam, thank you so much for sharing! I become overwhelmed and under-wowed when I think my problems are more real than the power of our God. I forget his might so,exiles and think miracles only miracles only happen in the Bible. I’m so glad God reaffirms what is true with others and that he still performs miracles in our lives and hearts today!
It’s so true. This world can be overwhelming at times. We must take the time to stop and give Him space to work in our hearts. Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for sharing. I had a similar but worse experience over a year ago. I got the dreaded and unexpected phone call “your position is being eliminated and you have less than a month to look for a new one.” After hearing that you go through various emotions of anger, betrayal and fear. I found myself unemployed for months, then worked part time which required a long commute for almost a year before I found my current full-time job. Looking back it was a blessing in disguise. Sometimes God allows unfortunate circumstances to happen in our lives to overwhelm us with his greatness. He treats us like precious metals which must withstand intense heat to shape into beautiful designs. During that order I learned to be humble and completely trust and rely on God. What a comfort it is to have him as my anchor. I have a great job which allows me to grow both personally and professionally. It’s better than the one that I lost and with a very short commute. I can think of many other tough instances which God has gotten me through. Unfortunately, we live in a broken and fallen world where we face a lot sadness, pain, illness and disappoint. When those times arise, we must resist the urge to run away from God because then you find yourself depending on you and more susceptible to temptation by the devil who’s always up to no good. In all circumstances however tough they are you can only find peace in God. For those of you who are struggling right I say hold on to your faith and hold on to God because without him you really have nothing.
Thank you for sharing and for leaving encouraging words for others. It is so cool when we think things are disastrous and God’s there working it all out in the background. And bonus … we grow closer to Him! Truly our anchor, as you said. So glad things worked out for you, my sweet friend.
I’m overwhelmed and underwowed when I overcommit myself to too many things. I set aside my time with God to “get things done” and when I am not spending time with Him, the fear and frustration creep in . These tips are good ones to keep in front of me!
Overcommitment is a trap I think we all fall into, myself included. Sometimes I don’t even notice it at first. I’m really focused on doing only one thing at a time in EVERY area. No more multi-tasking! Wishing you all the best in your journey.
What a fabulous story!! And I love the way you suggest that we turn overwhelmed and underwowed upside down. I might need to print that out and put it all over my house! 🙂 Thanks for sharing at Testimony Tuesday.
Thanks for the kind words, Holly. I enjoyed Testimony Tuesday. And believe me, there are many days when I need to flip it around so I might take your suggestion as well! Blessings in your journey.
I’ve been participating in a #holidayhaiku challenge and it has forced me to read familiar Scripture passages and ponder them. It’s so true that they can be so familiar that we don’t think about the “wow” factor. I have been blessed by spending more time in the Word and in prayer. What a great God we have! Thank you for this post and your suggestions! They are all spot on! Blessings to you. I’m visiting from #GiveMeGrace.
Thank you for stoping by, Gayl. I enjoy Give Me Grace!
This is what I think at least part of “fearing God” is all about. It’s hard to wrap my brain around the idea of fearing God, but worship and find the “Wow” in all He does–that I can do! And I’m challenged to do more of it by your words, my friend. Thanks for sharing such a powerful message–one that comes from our powerful Lord! Wow!
Thanks for stopping by, Beth. Your words encourage me as well!
It’s no coincidence Pamela that I’ve read this blog entry at this moment in my life. I’ve been feeling financially and emotionally overwhelmed regarding family finances and my husband’s mental health struggles and almost 10 year unemployment. God has used you to bless me and speak to my heart and soul. Thank you! !!!
It’s no coincidence then, that this post took longer to write than normal. God’s timing is always perfect even if we can’t see it at the time. I’m praying for you and your circumstances. Praying for peace, strength and wisdom but, mostly that you hold tight to God through it all. Thank you so much for opening up your heart. I’m sure that will be a blessing to someone who lands on this page. You are a blessing to me.
Definitely needed to hear this. I have been fearful to take my NCLEX on Wednesday. I’m afraid of failing because I have had past failures with other exams. I know God can do the impossible and that’s what I need to remember these next few days of studying. Thanks for posting this mom. 🙂
Take these truths and hold them deep in your heart, my darling daughter: He is with you and for you. The past is not the future. His timing is always perfect. You are blessed! Love you beyond words.