Overwhelmed
LeighMarie Stegman / Next Gen Elementary Assistant Director
“Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis. Simply join your life with mine. Learn my ways and you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in me. For all that I require of you will be pleasant and easy to bear.” Matthew 11:28-30 TPT
o·ver·whelm [ˌōvərˈ(h)welm]
VERB
overwhelmed (past tense) · overwhelmed (past participle)
1. bury or drown beneath a huge mass: "the water flowed through to overwhelm the whole dam and the village beneath"
2. defeat completely: "his teams overwhelmed their opponents"
SIMILAR: defeat (utterly/heavily/easily) trounce rout beat
3. give too much of a thing to (someone); inundate: "they were overwhelmed by farewell messages"
SIMILAR: inundate overload overrun flood swamp snow under
“I am overwhelmed…” I have used this phrase so very many times throughout my life, as I am sure many others have. The thing about this phrase is how differently it can be interpreted depending upon your circumstances … as well as your spiritual journey.
I have been reflecting on life and faith for a while now and I have recently discovered something about myself. I used to use this word as a negative connotation before walking closer with God. Overwhelmed by grief, overwhelmed by schedules, overwhelmed by marital woes, overwhelmed by financial responsibilities … I literally felt as though I was being buried beneath a HUGE mass; like I was drowning in the oceans of my life.
… But God …
God has changed the way that I see my life. He has given me a new perspective knowing that He is Abba, that He is Jireh, that He is The Way, The Truth, and The Life … this has made me overwhelmed in such a new way. Knowing that He wants me to give all that is troubling me to Him, that He is willing to care for me and make the way for me; God has literally changed the definition from being buried or drowning under the weight of my problems, to seeing it as I believe all followers of Christ could see it: agape. Yes, that’s right, I said agape.
I didn’t realize until researching the word, that agape was a synonym for overwhelm. We often see things the way in which we feel them. As I was feeling buried beneath darkness, I felt overwhelmed. As I feel God walking with me and taking over for me the things that I (reluctantly at first) give up to Him, He draws me into feeling overwhelmed … agape … overwhelming love from the Father.