Overwhelmed!

Right after breakfast is bath time for my one-year old twins, Tanner and Tyler. There is no better time to wash oatmeal and mashed bananas down the drain than first thing in the morning. When they are finished there is a process to getting them out of the tub.


This is how it works; first I drain the tub, then I run a towel-covered Tanner to the living room carpet, and then run back to get Tyler, who is still in the (empty) tub, and bring him back for a diapering/dressing fest. Only this morning, much to my surprise, when I ran back to get Tyler out of the tub, in the 3.5 seconds I had been gone, he "did his business" in the tub! Great, I thought. Now I'll have to clean up this big mess, but no time, I've got to run back to the living room. And, yet another surprise awaited me....Tanner had "done his business" on the only square foot of carpet in the house!

At this moment I was tempted to crawl back under those covers I had left and call it a day! However, that wasn’t going to be happening, it wasn’t even 7 am yet! I still had 3 other kids to feed, clothes to wash, beds to make, and who knows how many countless other messes to clean up. I sank to the floor, feeling completely overwhelmed. How was I going to get through this day, let alone the rest of the week? I wish I could say that feeling overwhelmed is a once and done thing. However, for me, it is a near every day occurrence!

And yet, I am so thankful that I have a faithful God who lovingly whispers in my ear, “You can do it”, picks me up and dusts me off, only to do the same thing again 30 minutes later. Our God is a faithful God, and His mercies are new every morning….and every afternoon, evening, and night! Lamentations 3:23 says, “Your mercies are new every morning, great is Your faithfulness Lord unto me.” He is not only faithful to give us new mercies, but He is abundantly generous with His strength as well.

“He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power,
though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble and fall. Yet
those that wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will mount up with
wings like eagles, they will run and not grow faint, they will walk and not grow
weary.” Isaiah 40:29-31

These are life giving words! Whatever tasks we face along the way (babies pooping on the floor seems pretty insignificant to the real trials of life) we can rely on HIS strength to get us through all of it. Big or small, God is there, through every overwhelming circumstance that comes our way. And He will be there again and again and again. So, I’m going to pick myself up from off of the floor, and look to Him for strength to start again…right after I get four little chubby hands out of the garbage can.

In Him......Joy

I'd love to have you visit me at my personal blog, Joy in the Journey.