When {Life} Tries to Take Over

Do you ever feel like everything is flying past you and there is just no way you can catch back up with it all?

Like {life} has taken over?

This is something I’ve struggled with many times in my life.  I’m sure you have too.  But this last month and a half has really tested my focus to fully rely on God.

This homeschool year has been kinda of a rocky one from the start for us.  We made a big move from the Chicago Burbs to the Cincinnati area just a few months into the new school year.  To say that threw our schedule off would be a major understatement.  But a few months into the move the girls and I started to get our routine going and feeling okay with the fact that we wouldn’t be finishing our school year when we had originally planned.  It would just a couple weeks longer and we had decided we could live with that.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.  {Psalm 32:8 esv}

Just after Easter my Mother-in-Law went to be with the Lord.  While we were so thankful we were able to take a last minute trip down to Florida and be with her during her final days here on Earth.  This was one of the most emotional, stressful, heart wrenching times for our family.  Loss is always difficult and for the first time I am finding myself needing to learn how to console my husband and my girls while keeping our house and lives in order.

I have felt the massive weight of {life} being placed on my shoulders and it was starting to feel suffocating.  So many things have fallen through the cracks and promises have been broken by me in the past few weeks.  Our homeschool had not had the focus it deserves from me – {life} was taking over!  Laundry is not getting down as it should.  The house is not as clean and organized as it normally is.  School was not planned out as well as it normally was.  Projects and promises I had made were being missed and forgotten.  In all my effort to keep our home and lives in order and running – I am failing!

Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.  Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.  Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.  {Proverbs 4:25-27 esv}

Just this last week I realized that the reason I was feeling so beaten down, so taken over,  and failing was because I was trying to do this all on my own.  Once again, I was trying to be the one to “fix” everything and hold it all together!  I was trying to take over for God (and I was doing a horrible job).

You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone.  {Exodus 18:18}

Not only can we not do it alone but He doesn’t want us to do it alone – God wants us to come to Him with all of our cares and concerns!  Think of how you want to fix it all for your children.  Now, know that God feels this way and even more towards us (His children).  His love is a pure, unconditional love for us and He hates to see us struggle with keeping it all “perfect” here on Earth.  It’s not going to be perfect – it’s going to be a bumpy and messy.  But the second you start feeling that {life} is taking over – get on your knees and take it ALL to God.  Ask God to take it from you and to show you His way – and do give you the strength to follow His path!

He restores my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.  {Psalm 23:2-4 esv}

Pray:  Father, you alone know all that I am feeling and thinking.  You know what you want me to learn work on.  Help me to know what is important and what are the little things that I need to let go of.  Take my hurt, worries and stress from me Father.  Help me to stay focused on you and your will for me.  Thank you so much for loving me more than I can ever image.  Thank you for loving me enough to want to hold me in your arms and help me.  Please let me feel your arms around me now – when I need it most.  – Amen