Last Thursday night, David and I came home late from the hospital where we met our first grandchild. As we walked through the door, I saw our youngest’s graduation announcements on the counter. That’s when it hit me—I am completely overwhelmed… by all the good things.
We had to laugh a bit as we recounted all the “life” we had experienced in just a few weeks:
- Mission trip to the Dominican Republic
- David’s grandfather’s passing
- Our first Teach Them Diligently event of the year
- Grandbaby #1 born
- Awaiting the birth of Grandbaby #2 any day (he has been born now!!)
- Our final high school graduation as homeschool parents
These are some of the most joyful, momentous things we’ve ever experienced—yet my heart and mind feel completely overloaded. It’s what I’ve started to realize is good overwhelm.
The transition to “Mayme” has been a wonderful experience for me—and David is a NATURAL grandfather. I’m so grateful for the snuggles I’ve gotten with babies and that their mamas are doing really well. God has been so good to us.
Still, I’m completely overwhelmed.
Overwhelm isn’t always a sign of bad things, though. Sometimes overwhelm can hit in the middle of a lot of exciting, wonderful things.
Blessings can also stretch you. God is teaching me a lot about that right now.
Apparently, your body and mind don’t always make a distinction between good and bad stressors, which has created a rather sneaky emotional state for me. I feel like I shouldn’t be overwhelmed, yet I am.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation like that? Maybe God has opened doors for you or given you opportunities and blessings, but you felt like you couldn’t keep up, so you layered guilt on top of the overwhelm.
I used to think the “waters” God promised to walk through with us in Isaiah 43 had to be trials or hardships. But now I see that even blessings can feel like deep waters when they come all at once. And He walks with us through those, too.
The God Who delights to give good gifts to His children will be with us even when we are totally overwhelmed by the good gifts He gives. We can trust Him to uphold us, be with us, and allow us to lean on Him. He created us and called us by name. We are His children, and we are precious in His sight.
Can you imagine that? What a wonderful truth!
So, yes. I’m a little scattered right now. I’m thinking about how I can care for babies and their mamas, plan events where I get to talk to and serve thousands of amazing, missional families, enjoy the moments leading up to our final homeschool graduation, and try to keep my dishes done and laundry caught up in the middle of it all.
But I hope to do it all with a better mindset now, recognizing that the God Who is the giver of all these wonderful gifts will also be with me as I walk through the waters of receiving them all at once.
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by good things too? I’d love to hear what God taught you in that season. Hit reply and share your story—I’ll be reading them while snuggling new babies!
RESOURCES TO HELP YOU HOMESCHOOL MISSIONALLY
- This month’s TTD365 Member workshop is about “Putting Your Own Mask On First.” We discuss the powerful spiritual and scientific reasons why self-care isn’t selfish. Using the familiar analogy of the airplane oxygen mask, we’ll explore how neglecting your own emotional, physical, and spiritual health ultimately hinders your ability to disciple your children and run the race God has set before you with endurance. Click here to watch that video now.
- The #1 Reason a Curriculum Fails and Why You Should Change How You Select Yours. This is a great article to read before convention and choosing next year’s curriculum.
- Faith That Sticks Podcast Episode: The preteen years can be perilous. More than ever kids are bombarded with messages that threaten their emotional health, spiritual growth, and faith. And while the market is flooded with resources for raising children, it’s remarkably scarce on help for navigating difficult preteen days. Parents can feel alone and at a loss as to how to connect with and guide their growing kids. In Faith That Sticks, Tricia Goyer and Leslie Nunnery share five real-life discipleship building blocks for raising preteens. They offer creative and practical ideas and activities that parents, caregivers, or mentors can implement in each of the five key areas, helping them feel more confident in their spiritual roles.
