A New Overwhelmed {and Announcement!}

As you can see, I decided to come back.  Back in June I was all done. Whatever that meant at the time.  I really didn’t know exactly what that meant, but I did know I needed some spiritual whitespace and rest.  So I did. 

I’m so glad I did.  

This past spring I guess I did myself in.  It wasn’t until I was in too deep to realize I had agreed to do too many things.  Why is that so easy to do?   I felt overwhelmed by the feeling of being overwhelmed.  It was overwhelming because this stay-at-home mom was never home because she found it hard to say "no".  There were unavoidable responsibilities. There was also a feeling of needing to do something for the Kingdom but battling with what it is I'm to do and when to do something.   I was frustrated because I wanted to write (for my sanity) but my mind was too frazzled to concentrate. Those responsibilities and feelings robbed rest and content right from my soul. 

I was at the point where I needed to create a space around me that would protect me from going completely off the deep end and being grumpy or exhausted all the time.  Thankfully when school ended, many of those things I was responsible for ended too.  But I also had to put a hold on some other things too.  Writing on my blog was one of them.  

So, for a few months I've done that.  Instead, I've been reading more, walking with my husband early in the morning, hanging out at the pool with the kids and friends and doing little projects around the house.  We've had vacation and time with family and friends.  All things I needed…we needed.

But now it’s a new school year (where my babies started middle school and high school this year, oh dear!). It’s time for new pencils.  It’s time for new notebooks that aren’t bent and wrinkled up on the corners.  Those notebooks when you open them up and it’s page after page of white space with those light blue lines and nothing written on them.  Ahhhh!  What a lovely thing to see and a feel! (at least it is for this one).

During the summer, I heard Big Daddy Weave's newest song on the radio and while I was driving by the retirement community (I remember exactly where I was when I first heard this song), the words grabbed my attention. 

When I heard the song, the memories of how I felt a few months ago rushed quickly to my mind simply because that word is hard to avoid because it can be so big and loud.

Overwhelmed.  But this overwhelm is used differently than the overwhelm I was feeling.  The overwhelm described in this song is the overwhelmed I want to be.   

I delight myself in You
Captivated by Your beauty
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You

And I am.

I’m overwhelmed by God’s grace and love for me and for you and for His children.

I’ve decided this year instead of being overwhelmed with a to-do list, I'm choosing to be overwhelmed by God's goodness and grace and redeeming love.  I'm choosing to be overwhelmed by His power to make things happen through us and the gifts He gives us to share all of that with others however way possible.  I’m choosing to be overwhelmed with hope.

This world needs every little bit and every huge amount of hope.

With whatever amount of hope I needed, I held onto over the summer. While taking a little rest, I’ve been patiently waiting for direction and timing and I think now’s the time.  We’ll see!  

While it is whatever you have to do this fall as a “new year” begins, may you be overwhelmed by the beauty of His grace and truth and love and purpose for you.

And now for the announcement!  

I want to let you know that I’ll have a new look and name in my space here on the internet.  So stay tuned because next week I'm going to launch my new website/blog.  I’ll share my new address and my first post there next week so stay tuned!

I hope to see you then!  And thank you.  Really.  Thanks for stopping by. 

Being overwhelmed...a good way!