Overwhelmed

Posted on January 16, 2016 by tammie@chaostochrist.com

Overwhelmed

Have you ever been driving along only to look down and see a warning light glaring at you? I know when it has happened to me, my first thought is “not now,” but warning lights are there for a very good reason – to let us know that, if we continue on without taking action, problems will likely ensue. Thankfully, God gives us warning signs in our lives as well, and the feeling of being overwhelmed is one such sign.

I have personally being feeling overwhelmed lately in caring for my teenagers. Thinking through the challenges they face, the decisions they have to make, and the heartbreak they will certainly feel as they make their way through these next few years is enough to bring any mother to her knees. I worry about the friends they choose, the situations they find themselves in, and even the effects of my poor parenting decisions. I wonder if they will stick to their convictions when faced with temptation, if they’ll make it in this world without all of my reminders and nagging, and if they’ll ever have clean clothes when I’m not around (please tell me I’m not the only one that worries over this). I fret over their relationship with the Lord, if they will always draw near to him, and if they will allow their lives to be used for His glory. And at the exact same time these overwhelming feelings take over, I realize how grateful I am to be blessed with the opportunity to be a parent to two great (not perfect) kids. And as much worry as they may bring to my life, they bring even more joy.

I often struggle with that same overwhelming feeling in other areas of my life as well. Whether it’s work deadlines, volunteer obligations, balancing finances, working to stay healthy, or catching up on never ending laundry piles (again – clean clothes!), sometimes the strong urge to throw my hands in the air rises to the surface. And yet, all these areas of my life bring me such joy at times (maybe not the laundry) and I’m truly grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given.

So it is possible to be grateful and overwhelmed at the same time but there is something far better than being overwhelmed. It is perfect peace. And it only comes by trusting in the Lord.

Psalm 61:2 tells us “From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Christ is the rock in our lives. He’s never changing, always faithful, and He cares about our overwhelmed hearts. He calls to us to lay our burdens at His feet through prayer and to place our trust fully in His capable hands to lead and guide our lives as children of God.

Just like our vehicles are equipped to warn us when they need servicing, these overwhelming feelings may very well be our warnings to spend more time with our Savior, to read His word and follow His direction, to pray and share our concerns, and to fully trust in Him and allow His perfect peace to reign in our hearts.

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A Christmas Prayer

Posted on December 25, 2015 by tammie@chaostochrist.com

A Christmas Praye

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Wise Men from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” ~ Matthew 2:1-2

Dear Jesus,

With all my heart, I pray this Christmas morning that You would make me like those wise men from so long ago. Help me to recognize that You are the Light of the World. Stir me to place my faith in You and follow You along whatever path you lead me. Cause me to trust You even when the journey gets tough and when I long to take the nearest exit ramp to the easier road.

Help me to stay focused on You (and look past the chaos of my life), to seek You above all else just like those wise men did. Make my heart long to spend time with You through reading Your word, praying to You, listening for You, and always being mindful of Your nudges along the way. Forgive me for when I fall down and fail you, when I give up, and even when I try to take over.

Just like You warned the wise men about King Herod, give me discernment when the enemy tries to lead me astray. Help me to hear Your voice loudly above the false whisperings in my ears. Remove any seeds of doubt and replace them with complete trust in You – the Lord of my heart.

Please remind me to take time to slow down and worship You. To acknowledge Your willingness to come to this earth so long ago simply so You could save my soul. To know and understand that You are my Wonderful Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, and The Prince of Peace.

And let me not just rest in the security of Your love but create in me an overwhelming desire to share Your great light through my words, my actions, and even my life. Place excitement in my heart each day – to go and to tell. Give me the opportunities and provide the words to say. Whatever the cost, may You use my life for Your greater glory!

In Your precious name I pray. Amen.

Join with me today, this beautiful day of Christmas as we give our hearts fully to Jesus. As we recognize His amazing, brilliant light in this world. Look for opportunities even today to share His love with your family, your friends, and anyone you meet. If you have never experienced this great light and long to know more, please visit Christ’s Simple Plan page.  He truly is the greatest gift of all!

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

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Just As You Are

Posted on October 29, 2015 by tammie@chaostochrist.com

Just As You Are

The more time I spend studying the Bible, the more grateful I become for the real life examples God provides for us.  His word is chock-full of men and women trying to be obedient, desiring to be used by the Lord, seeking His very best for their lives, and yet many times still struggling with doubt, worry, and fear.  They were not ridiculed by our Heavenly Father but rather lifted up, encouraged, and loved on.  Although we sometimes think of them as heroes of the faith, the only true hero is Christ. These were just people like you and me that were touched by God’s grace and used by Him.  He provided the strength, the peace, and the stamina.  He was only looking for willing hearts.

God has truly blessed us with these examples from which we can learn (Abraham, Moses, and Jonah to name a few – and that’s just in the Old Testament). It can be comforting to remember their struggles and the victories God led them to especially when we feel alone in our struggle to be obedient, to follow the Lord wherever he leads, and to be used for His glory in big and small ways.  It is far too easy for us to let doubt, worry, and fear creep in and leave us wondering why this is so hard.

We too often forget that God wants to use our struggles as well. We rob others of a blessing when we pretend that they don’t exist. We know the right words to say, the brave face to put on, and the expected way to act to keep our struggles and challenges hidden.  And yet it is our weaknesses and our times of struggle that others actually relate to.  It’s what allows us to share our faith with others in such a way they can understand, and it is in those struggling times that the Lord usually grows us the most.

My husband and I recently joined a small group of couples at church with a desire to make new friends and grow closer to God.  As is typical for groups just starting to meet with each other, each couple is taking turns sharing their story – the story of their family, how they grew up, how they came to be married, and anything else they want to share.   It is such an extraordinary way to break through the façade and truly get to know someone. It is also comforting and inspiring because of the honesty and vulnerability shown through this form of sharing.  Although I’m a little anxious about sharing my own story, the Lord is softening my heart to freely admit my missteps and challenges because it is in those exact times that His grace was sufficient and His power shines through.  My story has really always been His story, and that is something I should always be excited to share.

The truth is I struggle to keep it all together – my house gets messy, my laundry pile grows tall, I don’t cook dinner for my family as often as I should, I can barely keep up with my emails, I lose my patience with my kids and my husband, my motives are often selfish, and many days my attitude is not where it should be.  And as much as my heart desires to be close to the Lord and follow His will for my life, I sometimes choose to go my own way and miss out on the opportunities that He provides.  I forget so quickly the many ways that God has been faithful in my life, I lose sight of His perfect timing, and I take for granted the blessings He has provided.  I wrestle with my own set of doubts, worries, and fears. The reality is that I can never have it all together on my own, but I must never forget that my weaknesses reveal God’s strength.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9-11

My prayer is that we embrace our struggles and turn them over to God and begin to truly share them with those the Lord places in our paths, that we acknowledge our walk of faith isn’t perfect, and that we give Christ the honor and glory for strengthening us, encouraging us, and loving us through it all.

Your life really can be a blessing to those around you – just as you are!

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Christ’s Way or My Way

Posted on October 9, 2015 by tammie@chaostochrist.com

Christ's Way or My Way

As we all know, Adam and Eve were the first man and woman. They lived in absolute paradise with the love of their lives.  They wanted for nothing.  Their every need was filled.  There was no stress and chaos.  Each of them truly enjoyed their work in the garden.  Their relationship with Christ was incredible.  God walked with them in the garden and was the true source of their joy.  Life was better than good, better than great, it was actually blissful.

And then, the enemy slithered his way into the garden and planted a seed of doubt.  Doubts of Christ’s goodness, doubts of His provision, doubts that His instructions were not in their best interests and would cause them to miss out on something “even better.”  That seed of doubt continued to fester and lead to disobedience and sin, then came guilt and shame, then came separation from Christ as they had to leave the garden, and for the first time in their life, they felt fearful.

They had it all – joy, peace, protection, abundant provision, and love beyond measure.  And yet, they struggled with fully trusting that what they had was enough.  They wanted to take control, to make the decisions, to go their own way.  They were not about to miss out on what life really had to offer.

Knowing what we know now, it is easy to be critical of their decision.  They traded in paradise for what?  A piece of fruit and a hollow promise that things could actually be better if they ignored their creator’s instructions and took matters into their own hands?!?  While we may like to think we would have handled things differently, we wouldn’t have.  The same sinful nature that was in Adam and Eve is in all of us.

Every hour of every day (and sometimes minute by minute), as followers of Christ, we struggle with these same doubts.  Is His way really better?  What will we miss out on?  Perhaps it would just be better to take back control, make decisions on our own, make things happen on our time table, and go our own way.  He’s just the creator of the universe. What would He know? How could He possibly understand?

Although, we recognize His blessings, His provisions, and His protection in our lives, it is some times too easy to trade it all in for the simplest of our hearts desires.  His way is not just better, it’s the best.  It’s for our protection.  It’s because He loves us more than we can even imagine.

“Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths.” ~ Psalm 25:4

My prayer is that we would kick the enemy to the curb, that we would pray through our doubts and allow our Savior to lead us as we walk with Him through the garden of our lives.

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