The lyrics to "Overwhelmed" are powerful which is what initially caught my attention! Even if you have heard the song, go play it again before reading on and listen to the lyrics. (Here is a link to the official music video).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiGb14tTaH4
My favorite line - "God I run into your arms, unashamed because of mercy" - praise Jesus! My girls have heard it played one to many times for their liking, but I just can't seem to get enough of it. Sure the tune is catchy and the words are beautiful, but no doubt God knew I would need to hear it 100x before I actually applied the thing & started living it out. So often I believe truth, but living out that truth is hard. Plain and simple. Knowing and applying are two totally different verbs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiGb14tTaH4
My favorite line - "God I run into your arms, unashamed because of mercy" - praise Jesus! My girls have heard it played one to many times for their liking, but I just can't seem to get enough of it. Sure the tune is catchy and the words are beautiful, but no doubt God knew I would need to hear it 100x before I actually applied the thing & started living it out. So often I believe truth, but living out that truth is hard. Plain and simple. Knowing and applying are two totally different verbs.
When I first heard the song several weeks ago and memorized the lyrics, I would open the sunroof and sing to the top of my lungs along with Big Daddy Weave. Just me praising God. I'm in my car a lot and this place has become sacred to me for worship. Praising God and being overwhelmed for His goodness comes so easy during certain seasons of life and this was one of them. Delighting myself in Him was pure joy. A little taste of Heaven I do believe.
But then you know what? Life happened. Some hard things started to weave in my life and make me feel overwhelmed in a not so great way. Oh I have such good intentions of staying overwhelmed in the positive but for some reason my human tendency is to stray toward the negative side of being overwhelmed (blasted sinful nature). Faster than I can get through the lyrics of this song, my mind can shift to being overwhelmed with never ending tasks, my people, the economy, evil in the world, relationships, being an adult, making adult decisions, life in general, etc. You name it and I can become overwhelmed by it.
I do believe being overwhelmed in the negative is where so many of us live most of the time. We live in a world full of suffering and pain and hardships and there is no shortage for finding this information or seeing it firsthand in our own lives. News, blogs, social media feeds, magazines, TV, schools, neighbors, families, our communities, etc. ALL scream that we live in a world that desperately needs Jesus to come back & redeem it. And HE WILL!
So if I believe this then why do I stay overwhelmed in the negative? I am realizing I am so quick to say I trust God with the details of my life, but I don't always live out this truth. Ouch. I'm realizing when I replay scenarios in my head over and over again for answers, rehash life happenings over & over again with Bentley (which is exhausting for him btw), or worry about the details over & over again that will work themselves out in God's time, I am basically saying I don't trust God. If God holds the future then why am I so anxious & overwhelmed about what's to come? He gently reminded me recently it's because there is a lack of control when I give my future over to Him. Ouch again. Oh how much I like to be in control of most things - okay - everything. God is teaching me that life's uncertainty is inevitable and if I stop trying to control everything & just live out this 5 minutes I am here on earth, then I sure would enjoy the journey a little (okay a lot) more.
So I am learning (slowly but surely) that I have a choice. It's part of the free will He's given me. I can choose to live overwhelmed in stress, fear, and defeat, or I can choose to trust Him in all things and live overwhelmed in His goodness, mercy, and love. Really it's a matter of me turning up the lyrics of God's goodness in my life & being overwhelmed by Him, not man. So how do I apply and live this thing out? By staying in His word. By surrounding myself with others who live out His truth. By taking time to delight myself in Him. By being still and listening for His voice. By seeking His purpose for my life. The other night I took my dog out one last time to pee and the stars were so brilliant it took my breath away. He is everywhere, drawing me to be overwhelmed by Him. If only I'll accept the invitation.
I do believe being overwhelmed in the negative is where so many of us live most of the time. We live in a world full of suffering and pain and hardships and there is no shortage for finding this information or seeing it firsthand in our own lives. News, blogs, social media feeds, magazines, TV, schools, neighbors, families, our communities, etc. ALL scream that we live in a world that desperately needs Jesus to come back & redeem it. And HE WILL!
So if I believe this then why do I stay overwhelmed in the negative? I am realizing I am so quick to say I trust God with the details of my life, but I don't always live out this truth. Ouch. I'm realizing when I replay scenarios in my head over and over again for answers, rehash life happenings over & over again with Bentley (which is exhausting for him btw), or worry about the details over & over again that will work themselves out in God's time, I am basically saying I don't trust God. If God holds the future then why am I so anxious & overwhelmed about what's to come? He gently reminded me recently it's because there is a lack of control when I give my future over to Him. Ouch again. Oh how much I like to be in control of most things - okay - everything. God is teaching me that life's uncertainty is inevitable and if I stop trying to control everything & just live out this 5 minutes I am here on earth, then I sure would enjoy the journey a little (okay a lot) more.
So I am learning (slowly but surely) that I have a choice. It's part of the free will He's given me. I can choose to live overwhelmed in stress, fear, and defeat, or I can choose to trust Him in all things and live overwhelmed in His goodness, mercy, and love. Really it's a matter of me turning up the lyrics of God's goodness in my life & being overwhelmed by Him, not man. So how do I apply and live this thing out? By staying in His word. By surrounding myself with others who live out His truth. By taking time to delight myself in Him. By being still and listening for His voice. By seeking His purpose for my life. The other night I took my dog out one last time to pee and the stars were so brilliant it took my breath away. He is everywhere, drawing me to be overwhelmed by Him. If only I'll accept the invitation.
I know life is hard & I believe in being real & authentic (hence this blog post). But regardless of circumstance or situation or the hard stuff I deal with, I want my life to bring God glory. So moment by moment I'm choosing more of Jesus. I want my relationship with Jesus to bear fruit that I trust Him in all things and I'm crazy overwhelmed by Him.
"We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 1:12
overwhelm me Jesus with more of You-
leanne
That was a beautiful transparency. Proud of you. Fighting control--we all must press on toward that release and trust!
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