Overwhelmed…What Does That Even Mean?

There are some words that when you hear them a sudden thought emerges. But many words have different meanings depending on the person. Chocolate, for example, may mean bliss and heaven, but for someone else it could be disdain and hate.

As I was reflecting today the word overwhelmed sprung up. I think I heard someone say it and usually when I hear overwhelmed I think negative. I’m overwhelmed with life. I’m overwhelmed at work. I’m overwhelmed with school.

But flip your perspective.

Think positively now.

I’m overwhelmed with life. I’m overwhelmed at work. I’m overwhelmed at school. Meaning, life is amazing. I am beyond myself with my blessed job. I am having the best year at school.

But to often when we hear overwhelmed it is mostly a negative,

It has a negative connotation of something you cannot handle. Life is falling apart. You are up to your neck in debt. You are hanging by your last thread. Overwhelmed.

But overwhelmed has a beautiful flip to it. I am overwhelmed by the love and support I receive from my friends and family. Love and support that is unbelievable. I am overwhelmed by the many blessings I am bestowed. Blessings that I cannot carry or even name them all. I am overwhelmed by the good fortune of my health. That I’m able to carry on and continue without much of medical necessities.

Overwhelmed.

So, which camp do you pitch your tent? Are you overwhelmed with life? Or are you overwhelmed with life?

The same words. The same letters. The same sounds. But two different meanings.

It is interesting. When someone puts an abundance on you, it may weigh you down. It may become burdensome. It may cause your back to ache and your strength to diminish.

But when God puts an abundance on you, it lifts you up. An abundance of grace. Of love. Of mercy. Of compassion. Of blessings.

God pours so much on us that we should be weak in the knees with all the blessings, but we take it for granted. We take Him for granted.

We ignore the overwhelming He floods down on us and take it as common. We get used to the privilege lifestyle of being His and look past the namesake and sacrifice. We lose sight of Him and see what we are used to. And we don’t feel overwhelmed.

We just feel blah.

We see the minute problems and get overwhelmed. While we blind our eyes to the millions of things that go right. We get overwhelmed with life. But get underwhelmed to the state that we don’t even acknowledge who He is.

May we change our perspective.

May we see what gets us overwhelmed is really a small thing compared to the overwhelming bigness of God.

If you still can’t see it, stand outside and look up. If you aren’t overwhelmed at the sky above, I don’t know what to say.

Peace

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