Finding a place wasn't that difficult. We looked at 3 places and only made a couple phone calls before my husband came across a picture of what would soon be our new home. We called the owner, looked at it the next day, and had the lease signed within a week. Leaving our old place was easy on everything but our bank account and packing wasn't that bad. The movers had everything out of the apartment and into the house in only a few hours. Transferring our water, utilities, and mail was painless. Home sweet home! I was actually beginning to rethink my deep hatred and dread of moving day. A week with the keys to our new place and everything had gone off without a hitch...until the first night we actually stayed in our house.
After work, I went directly home to begin unpacking totes, arranging dishes, and sorting through the tons of stuff we have accumulated since our first move 3 years ago. Although it's tedious and time consuming, unpacking was actually enjoyable with all the additional space to fill. Everything seemed to be going well until our cable appointment. A no-show technician and 3 hours later, we found out our house wasn't even wired for service. By this point, I'm already remembering why I absolutely loathe even the mention of moving! I could have lived through the cable catastrophe, but that was just the beginning of our "smooth" move. Our first night staying at our new house, the furniture store deliveries were 3 hours behind which meant putting together our bed at midnight. Since we had been performing manual labor all day, we never noticed that our excessive perspiration was not from furniture assembly but rather the 88 degree temperature on our thermostat. Our air conditioning unit was frozen up! Only after a 1:00a.m. trip to Wal-Mart for a box fan were we able to survive our first night. The next morning we found a leaky hot water heater, broken garbage disposal, and poorly wired, blinking bathroom light. Not to mention our depleted bank account after moving costs and other expenses we hadn't anticipated for maintaining a house. Although we never doubted how blessed we are, the process of moving definitely had us feeling overwhelmed!
Life, like moving, is often overwhelming! Stress at work, bills, obligations, managing relationships, inconvenient surprises...all of these things can continue to pile up until they squeeze the joy right out of your life. I'm as bad as anyone at over committing myself and perpetuating the "busyness" that often overtakes what is really important. The word "overwhelmed" is one I would have never desired to assign to myself, but as He usually does, God overruled me.
I was driving into work one morning after the move and had my radio turned to the Christian station K-Love when the most amazing song came on. Actually, the fact that the song came on was no coincidence but rather a divine act of God which forced the DJ's hand while also forcing mine to turn up my radio and listen. He wanted to make sure I heard Him loud and clear. When I drive, I think and this particular morning my brain was sifting through the relentless to-do list I had racked up during our move. Like clockwork, I started stressing over what I needed to check off first, when I would even have time to tackle my list, what tasks hadn't even made it to the paper yet. As the tension and terror of my daunting list of duties started creeping in, the song "Overwhelmed" by Big Daddy Weave came on and God overwhelmed me.
WOW! Our God is one of perfect timing and a flawless message! In the moment I was becoming overwhelmed with all those insignificant, menial tasks, He turned my thoughts and heart inside out and overwhelmed me in a different way. He wants us to be overwhelmed...in fact, it's necessary if we want to experience the fullness of life that God desires for us. We just have to make sure it's with the right things...not those seemingly important errands and engagements that we've bound ourselves to. After hearing this song, I began thinking about all the reasons I should actually be overwhelmed.
1. God's Perfect Love Is Overwhelming
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish
but have eternal life."- John 3:16
God loves you and I so much that He sent His perfect, only Son into this imperfect world to die the
death that you and I deserved. More than that, His heart is continuously overflowing with a deeper love
than we could ever imagine; a love consistently directed towards us despite how consistently undeserving
we are of it. His love doesn't discriminate and will always be more than anything we need. No matter how
far we stray, God will absolutely, always, without a doubt show us perfect, inexhaustible love!
2. God's Mercy Is Overwhelming
"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were
dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved."- Ephesians 2:4-5
Each of us has been given a gift that we don't deserve--salvation. God's overwhelming love is evident
through his overwhelming mercy. Mercy is the act of showing compassion and forgiveness to someone who
has done nothing to deserve it. Tax collectors, lepers, prostitutes, murderers, adulterers, sinners of all
types...these are the ones who God has forgiven and loved. The fact that God forgives these sinners, these
people just like you and I, who are constantly falling short of His grace, is the most compelling example of
His overwhelming mercy!
3. God's Power Is Overwhelming
"For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or
powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him
all things hold together."- Colossians 1:16-17
GOD IS POWERFUL. This statement should go without saying. Our God is the Creator of everything, a
miracle Worker, eternal King, Alpha, Omega, Truth, the Great I Am and so much more! His power was
evident during biblical times through miracles, exorcisms, resurrections, and everyday encounters with those
who loved and trusted Him. That same overwhelming power still exists today in a very real and tangible
way. I've experienced God's power in many ways. It is real, it is present, it is available to each of us and it is
certainly overwhelming.
4. God's Desire For Us Is Overwhelming
"This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of
the truth."- 1 Timothy 2:3-4
God longs for each and everyone of us to turn to Him. He doesn't force us to accept salvation but His heart
aches at the thought of one of His children not receiving that wonderful gift purchased through the blood of
the Lamb. To show His deep desire to be with us, God often goes out of His way to make Himself known
among us. The birth of this blog is an example of God's desire to make himself known to me. He led me to
write hide&seek Jesus to reflect on all the ways I see Him in everyday things. He shows up everywhere, in
everyday life. He charms us with sunsets and mountain views; He amazes us by bringing new life into the
world; He comforts us by inspiring our friend to speak the right words at the right times. He goes out of His
way to make His presence known because of His love for us, because of His overwhelming desire for us to
come to Him.
5. God's Promises Are Overwhelming
"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who
called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious
promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the
world caused by evil desires." -2 Peter 1: 3-4
You and I are extremely blessed to be on the receiving end of the amazing promises of God! He has truly
given us everything we need for life and godliness through His promises. He has promised that
His grace is sufficient for us, that He will never leave us, that if we believe in Jesus who died for our sins that
we will have eternal life, and much, much more. Because of His overwhelming love and desire for us, God
has promised you and I undeserved, immeasurable blessings. Each time we receive a blessing,
it is an affirmation of God following through on those abundant, amazing, always present promises.
6. God's Faithfulness Is Overwhelming
"For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does."- Psalm 33: 4
Loyal, constant, true, unswerving, steadfast, committed, dependable, reliable....these are all synonyms for the
adjective faithful. These are also all extremely fitting when describing God! Even our most loved family
members and closest friends have already and will continue to fail us. Luckily, for you and I, we serve a
God who embodies complete faithfulness in it's truest, most perfect form. God will never leave us, fail us,
forget us, stop loving us, betray us, neglect us, abandon us, or do anything at all other than be faithful to us.
7. The Joy You Find In God Is Overwhelming
"Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe
in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the
salvation of your souls."- 1 Peter 1: 8-9
God is love, truth, eternal life...He is many things! God is also, as it says in 1 Peter, "inexpressible and
glorious joy." I know joy because I know God. Living daily in his presence enables me to experience true joy
despite the fallen world surrounding me. God is joyful that I am His child because of how much He loves
me and He wants me to reciprocate that joyful feeling. Attend the marriage of two people in love...you will
see true joy. Stop on the beach to enjoy the stars and waves at midnight...you will feel true joy. Wake up
each morning looking for ways to make someone else smile...you will experience true joy. God's joy is all
around us because God Himself is all around us...we just have to open our eyes and hearts to experience it.
Love, mercy, power, desire, promises, faithfulness, joy....I am certainly overwhelmed. Not by late delivery men or broken air conditioning units, but by a God who makes me forget all these things and everything else that threatens to bombard the blessed life that He has allowed me to enjoy. By a God whose daily presence is so powerful that I can't help but be in awe of how amazing He is. Yes...it's good to be overwhelmed if it's by the right things! Open your heart to God's presence, your life to His leading, and prepare to have Him overwhelm you too!
Love In Christ,
Cori