When Life Overwhelms

What do you do when Life Overwhelms you? It’s not that everything is negative, or lost, rather, it’s the concept of having picked too many pieces of life to enjoy and suddenly those pieces demand every molecule of your being.

This is where I’ve found myself lately, too many things going on, and too many things to get done, and not enough time to accomplish everything with some modicum of success.

It’s time to prioritize Life.

Priorities

As it always the case, I often focus on what’s most important, what’s necessary, and what I would really like to do. Then you set everything else to the side, shutting down those things so they don’t cost or wriggle around on the sidelines trying to tempt you to pay attention.

Maybe what’s necessary is not the most important thing you must accomplish, but it’s something that simply happens and you don’t want to let it slide.

Equally, those things you may want to do are not necessary, nor important, but in the long-range, they could create personal satisfaction and a future reward.

Only you and yours can define these parameters. Since I have people important to my life, maybe this is crucial and key. It’s not just what I think, it’s what we need.

Needful Things

I’ve written about it often and thought it through each month, but there are things we need to keep in focus. You know. “Need’s” over “Want’s”. I’ve often called them Needful Things.

Today, I take time to think it through again. The window is open. Birds are chirping. The dog is guarding the chickens roaming the yard. It’s quiet. The fan blows softly in the corner. No distractions!

I take out a sheet of paper and begin to jot down what’s necessary, what’s important, and what I would like to do.

Here’s My Thought This Morning

I must keep my focus on what is most important and necessary. This often conflicts with what I want, or even desire to include. “Focus!” This is not simply paying attention to what’s on my plate, but also reining in my mind and thinking patterns.

“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.”
~Mark Twain

Focus requires the whole being. Solomon says that daydreaming comes from too many worries! In spite of the daydreams, pointless actions and empty words that occupy your life, you must still fear God! (Ecclesiastes 5:3-5, God’s Word Translation).

What is Your Focus Like?

If we were to own up to how we think, we would describe our focus as a wavy view of what we want versus what we need! Paul describes what our focus must be like.

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
(Colossians 3:2 NKJV)

Notice the verb. “Set” comes from the Greek word describing the exercising of your mind, to be disposed of something specifically and intensively interest yourself in the subject you are thinking about.

You often go astray when your mind is not set on the focus of your future! My flight instructor taught me that you often fly the direction you look! A stunt driver taught that you should never look at the telephone that you hope to miss. Look to where you want to go, and not what you fear the most! What you fear will most certainly happen!

Summary

The psalmist encourages us to know the path… When I begin to lose heart or feel overwhelmed, then lead me to that Rock that is higher than I! (Psalms 61:2)

This is me. Today. I’m looking at where I want to go and not the distractions that are perpetually filling my vision as they slide by. I have a goal. It’s in front of me. I have my focus. Now. Let’s go!