Sunday, August 25, 2013

The Overwhelmed Woman

The Overwhelmed Woman. Yes, that's me. It makes me want to pull the covers over my head and go back to bed... Eat whatever isn't bolted down in the fridge... Join a seminary so that I can just drown myself in God's words and never have to live in the often fallen and broken world in which stresses live.
  •   I'll bet you might be the overwhelmed woman, too, especially if you are a wife, mom, student, employee, business-owner, home-maker, homeschooler, care-giver, volunteer, or any or all of these rolled into one. It seems that in America, we somewhere got the impression that being busy and seemingly "together" represents the appropriate status for which a woman should strive....always having each of the kids in 7.2 activities concurrently with laundry washed, folded, and in the right dresser drawers, a healthy, organic meal that is the perfect balance of low-fat carbs, high-quality protein, and a rainbow of fruit and veggie colors, a sexually satisfied and high-earning husband, a cute new haircut, and daily 40 minute workouts that combine the right amount of cardio, strength-training, and flexibility-work on top of gasoline in the car, paid-bills, and finding our cell phone and keys.
  • As a Christian, a master's level counselor, a trained life-coach, I often help others to manage their stressors, and I try to use techniques in my own life to make things go smoother, but don't think for a minute that I or any other person out there has it all together. We are all just trying to do our best to keep our heads above water while also striving to gain a high quality-of-life in which we can best enjoy our loved ones, achieve our life's purposes, and be as happy as possible.
  • These are good things, but we are only human. Happiness and perfection are not the end-all be-all purposes of life. Giving God your life through accepting the love and salvation of Jesus is. If you are carrying the weights of the world on your shoulders today, remember that Jesus accepts you just as you are. He will be your strength; turn to Him and rest in Him. Lay your burdens at His feet, and trust that He is enough; you are enough, even when you burn dinner, finish off the ice cream, get the kids to the bus too late, and lock yourself out of the house. ;)