Feel overwhelmed? Come to Jesus…

Feeling Overwhelmed? Come to Jesus…

What does it mean to feel overwhelmed? Emotional overwhelmed entails more than being stressed. By definition being emotionally overwhelmed means being completely submerged by your thoughts and emotions about all of life’s current problems, to the point where you lack productivity and feel frozen or paralyzed.

Being a widow is overwhelming and makes even the most mundane and “normal” tasks hard. You are faced with many logistics, decisions, and questions, and that makes those overwhelming emotions even stronger.

Jesus invites us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) He says He will take our burdens and all of those feelings and emotions and we just have to give them to Him.

Sometimes that seems easier said than done. How do we turn our emotions and grief over to God? How do we overcome those overwhelming feelings work through those emotions and start to heal? Is this even possible? The long and short answer is you do it moment by moment. You don’t worry about tomorrow, you focus on the present. You don’t try to figure it all out, you just take one step at a time. 

God also tells us that, “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Isaiah 40:31 (NIV). If we learn to turn our burdens to Him and rely on His strength, that is how we get through. He gives us strength and wants us to soar like eagles.

I still find myself in these vulnerable, overwhelming moments, even 7 years later. Moments, where I feel like I can’t do it. Moments where I am so tired. The emotions and this grief is so overwhelming. How is it that I’m still sad and dealing with grief this long into this journey? Sometimes it is exhausting, but at those moments when I’m the weakest, is when God shines through even more. He renews my strength, gives me help in those moments, and promises to carry my burdens.

Today, when you, like myself, don’t know how you can continue walking this road, remember that God is carrying your burdens. He wants you to turn to Him. He wants you to rely on His strength, not your own strength. He loves us more than we can ever grasp or imagine. 

I’ll close with some words from a song, called Come to Jesus, that bring me comfort in my overwhelming moments. I will also implore you to do the journaling below that we encourage our widows groups to do when they study feeling overwhelmed.

“Sometimes the way is lonely

And steep and filled with pain

So if your sky is dark and pours the rain

Then cry to Jesus

Come to Jesus

Come to Jesus and live”

JOURNAL: 

When you feel overwhelmed this week, write down the cause of those feelings. Pray over those items and then choose to trust Him with the outcome. Write down any practical steps He might give you in your time of reflection and prayer. Write out a prayer about any overwhelming feelings you may have or be having.