Overwhelmed No more!

These past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activities; from retreats to rush week events and moving in and getting settled. I knew there was something special about this semester, I could just feel it! Ok I know that every semester it’s special, but I knew this semester was going to be a lot crazier than it was that past term. It started off pretty well; I got to know new students and bonded with old ones. I always get a rush of excitement at the beginning of every semester cuz there’s so many people to get to know!! So being the natural sanguine that I am automatically got all giddy about spending time with all of them!! I FINALLY met someone who loved to sing Disney songs with me all the time! (Shout out to my Disney buddy Lian!) It was great. Nothing much to worry about at the beginning of the semester and more over there wasn’t much school to do during the first month.

            All of it was going well until I found out that I was given a new set of roles this semester. I won’t go into detail, but let’s just say that it was something I didn’t even see coming. I remember even before finding out I told God that “I would do everything that is given to me in excellence.” thinking that it was something that I had an idea of. God knew where to put me during this season even though I didn’t. After finding out, I talked to my fellow student leaders about how I felt about it and they encouraged me breaking off all the lies that the enemy was throwing at me that I was not capable of where I was put and that I was going to feel separated from the rest of Emmaus. I felt a little better about it.

The next day at church Pastor Erin preached a bomb message about feeling overwhelmed. She took the passage from Deuteronomy 1:9-18 and spoke about the time where the Israelites were about to enter the Promise Land. At the beginning of the passage Moses was feeling burdened because the Israelites have increased in number. Basically Moses was feeling overwhelmed with the responsibility that God has called him to. At this point the Israelites were making Moses feel overwhelmed to the point of death. Pastor Erin continued by asking us how we would deal with things if we were ever overwhelmed; and she went on by saying that first of all we shouldn’t let the revelation of who God is be moved. She says that when we feel overwhelmed we are tempted to feel like God has abandoned us. During those times it is our flesh-like mentality that we automatically let our circumstance dictate who God is, when who God is should dictate our circumstance. Depending on what season we are in we tend to define God according to how we feeling during that season. If life is good then God is a good God. If we go through hard times God is a God who abandons us etc… “God should change our circumstance, not our circumstance should change who God is.” She continued to say. And the reason why Moses actually felt overwhelmed was because God fulfilled His promise to Abraham (verse 10). The truth is some of the things we are complaining about are actually a result of God’s blessing over our lives. Moses was in a sense promoted into a different level yet he is asking God to kill him because he couldn’t handle it. And honestly the reason why Moses felt that way was because he was so insecure about whether or not he can do what God has called him to do.

As I listened to the sermon I began to reflect on what was going on in my own heart. The reason why I was feeling too overwhelmed was because I felt insecure about my own abilities of what they were asking me to do. I didn’t see things from God’s perspective and where He wanted to take me this semester. That Sunday I cried my eyes out during service just trusting God for this next season. Even though I don’t know anything I knew one thing’s for sure. I wasn’t going to let my circumstance dictate my God.

So for those of you out there who feels overwhelmed at your current situation, be reminded that it’s because of God’s blessing in your life. So don’t grumble at your situation asking Him why He has given you such things, but rather let God define you circumstance. God gives us God sized dreams. When we walk with Him, He will naturally bring us through a door we are not ready for.  Would we rather go back to what we are comfortable in, what we have become an expert in, than allowing Him to lead the way down a road full of adventures? God is engaging us to have relationship with Him. So an encouragement to all of you out there feeling overwhelmed, be overwhelmed no more!