I wrote an article recently about helping our kids have hope. In the article, I quoted the verse above and talked about modeling a life overflowing with hope for our kids. If you’d like to read more about it, this link will take you there.
What I didn’t realize at the time was that it’s impossible to overflow with hope when your life is overloaded with tasks.
Feeling Overloaded in Life? Here's How to Overflow with Hope Instead
These past few months have been hard. Maybe you’re in the middle of a hard place too. We know life is full of struggles, but knowing doesn’t make it any easier. How do we stop feeling overwhelmed? When difficulties arise, are we filled with joy and peace so that we’re ready to walk through them?
Not if we’re running on overload.
In the post When Chaos Causes Me to Lose My Focus, I told you about my Saturdays, and how the jobs I put off until the weekend build and build until I feel buried under the weight of my to-do list.
Unfortunately, I haven’t done a very good job of managing my overloaded schedule. So when hard stuff hit like a tidal wave, it knocked me off my feet. The result? Overwhelm. Confusion. Discouragement. Frustration. I didn’t realize I’d filled my life so full that I hadn’t left room for God to fill me up with what I really needed.
When we keep adding and adding to the schedule, overload results.
When we take on more than we can handle, overload results.
When we try to control everything and everyone, overload results.
But when we guard against filling our lives with more tasks to accomplish, our hearts are free to receive God’s joy and peace.
Joy and peace - the two things we need most in order to overflow with hope.
May I share an honest discovery with you? I’ve been writing about busy schedules and overwhelmed lives for a while, but I didn’t understand how damaging living on overload could be. Until now.
So I’m making a commitment today, and if you’ve been struggling with an overloaded life too, I invite you to join me.
I commit to free myself from a schedule that has me wrapped up so tightly, I’m in danger of suffocating. I am releasing unnecessary tasks to make room for God to fill me with all the joy and peace my heart can hold.
Are you with me? Then this declaration is for us. When life overwhelms you, may we all embrace His gifts of joy and peace. This way whenever the hard stuff happens, we will have everything we need to fight off confusion, discouragement, or frustration and overwhelm. We will have hope that pours out and soothes even the deepest hurts. Renewed hope begins here.
