Do you feel steady?

I confess that I find it very easy to get caught up in my current circumstances.

I can let temporary perceptions become my reality, without consulting the Holy Spirit about the situation first. It can be exhausting. Let me give you an example to see if you can relate.

I have been helping my daughter pack up her things for an upcoming move. In the beginning, going through all the packing and organizing in any move is completely overwhelming. Hundreds of items that are safely tucked away in closets and drawers must be pulled out of hiding and a decision made as to what to do with each one. I have moved enough to know that at some point it always feels impossible, that it is just too much.

Eventually, as things gets trashed, donated, and boxed up there comes a time when I begin to see a tiny glimpse of the bottom of the floor and the tops of the counters. The circumstances begin to lighten and become more manageable. Maybe it isn’t all that bad after all. Perhaps there isn’t as much stuff as I thought.

Our perceptions can become our reality but the question is whether they can be trusted. Perceptions can change very quickly, like when we are boxing things up for a move and feeling completely swallowed up one day and totally fine a few days (or hours) later. It can make you feel like you are on an emotional roller coaster. I desperately want to be a steady, logical, and rational person but it is impossible to do on my own.

If I want to feel steady, I must lean on God and seek him first and above all. God is my rock and trumps my wavering perceptions. Only He can show the reality of any given situation and give me the bigger picture required in order to see things through. Only God can calm the winds of life.

Do you ever feel like you are on an emotional roller coaster? What example comes to mind?

What does it take for you to feel steady in the uncertainty and busyness of life?

Do you ever give yourself self-imposed deadlines? How does that help or hinder your stress level?

When was the last time you surrendered a situation over to God? When you said you just can’t do it..

Scripture

David declares, “Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God: he is my mighty rock, my refuge”. Psalm 62:6-7