Battling Overwhelm with a Pencil
by Tina Yeager
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen”
I’m two weeks behind on blogging. Followers haven’t received my newsletter this month. Four articles I need to submit await writing or polishing this week. My social media scheduler drains faster than I can fill it. Add an incoming tide of meetings, responsibilities, and events. All while incomplete manuscripts sink deeper into the ocean bed of my hard drive.
Am I facing this tsunami of overwhelm alone?
As I struggle to pry myself from bed each morning and face the waves, my prayers swirl in countless directions. I plead for supernatural tools to overcome my impossible list of tasks. On the days when my list rises above my stamina’s roof, I fare better when I let my prayers take up as much time as they need.
“I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer,” Martin Luther said.
I can’t claim I meditate for half the morning, nor do I always need that much time. However, I must spend as long as it takes to shift the weight of the day’s responsibilities to God’s shoulders and receive the power and peace he provides in return.
The Lord bears my burden, shelters me from the crushing load, and equips me for the small, human-sized responsibility in my hand.
I end my prayers and face my day with a pencil. While the Lord covers the battles in the spiritual realm and handles things beyond me on my prayer list, he empowers me to cross off one item at a time.
He reserves the authority to call for an eraser moment. Interruptions happen, often by divine appointment. I must obey with my pencil, both in writing and in editing my to-do list as I am called upon to engage in life-changing conversations.
Some mornings I fail to pray through the overwhelm and brandish my Tina-sized pencil. On those days, crushing waves batter my soul with the greatest oppression. But I know who to call upon for rescue, and am ever thankful for his grace and help. Every day.
Lord, thank you for bearing my burdens and sheltering me from the crushing power of overwhelm. Help me use my pencil to honor you, both in writing and editing my task list. Amen.
Award-winning author, speaker, licensed counselor, and life coach, Tina encourages audiences to fulfill their potential. She offers writing workshops through Serious Writer Academy, hosts the Flourish-Meant podcast, and is a mentor with Word Weavers International. Beautiful Warrior, her book on women’s esteem is available on Amazon. To connect with her, visit tinayeager.com.
Love the concept of the more pressure, the more prayer.
I’m grateful for your feedback, Connie. May the Lord encourage your heart during times of pressure, as well. Blessings!
Thank you, Tina. I needed this. So counter human thinking, but so divinely right to not let life’s demands hurry us from His presence, from the very help we need. As the preacher said, don’t let the urgent rob you of the important.