Thursday, November 05, 2009

Quiet time: Dealing with Overwhelm


  • Dealing With Overwhelm

1Ki 19:1 ¶ And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.
2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.
3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.


1. Things outside my control can cause overwhelm.


    • Sometimes as I read the news, I begin to feel like Elijah here. I want to push my kids to hurry up and get through their school work and work ahead. I feel like I want to run for my life through the school curriculum so we can beat the government to the punch.
    • Family Crises such as death, illness, disasters can overwhelm us.


    4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

    2. Comparing Ourselves to Others Can Cause Overwhelm
    When we get overwhelmed and stressed, how often do we sit down under our proverbial juniper trees and have a pity party? Notice here that Elijah was comparing himself to his ancestors and came to the conclusion that he wasn't any better than they so he may as well die.

    How often do we as homeschool moms look at what some other homeschool family is doing, compare ourselves to them and decide based on that that we are no good at this, we may as well throw in the towel? Or how many of us look at our public schooled friends kids and see their names in the school district paper for accomplishments they have been recognized for and think, “Wow, I am depriving my kids of opportunities in life!”

    And then there are the relatives and friends who are not altogether supportive of your homeschooling efforts. They begin to raise questions about how will they qualify for scholarships? How will they meet the requirements for college entrance? How will they prove they have completed a high school education so they can get a job? How will they make it in the world...they've been so sheltered? What about their social life?

    When we allow ourselves to be compared to other homeshool families or those outside of homeschooling, this is a prescription for overwhelm.

    Don't listen to the Enemy's jabs and accusations. It will only land you under your juniper tree to have a pity party.

    1. The Enormity of the Task Ahead Can Cause Overwhelm..
      Elijah was running for his life. He was looking ahead and what he imagined caused him despair because he didn't see a way out.

    Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
    34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

    If we look ahead and worry about the future we are only using up tomorrow's strength today.
    We need to take each day as it comes, one day at a time, sometimes one hour at a time. That's not to say don't plan ahead, since in homeschooling if you don't plan anything nothing will get accomplished. But in your planning, plan flexibility in and once your plans are laid out, take it one day at a time and make adjustments where necessary as you go. Be flexible or be miserable.

    Also, take a look at what you are doing.
    What can you delegate to your kids?
    What can you eliminate?
    What can you do to stream-line things so they don't get all piled up on you?
    How can you break bigger jobs down into several smaller jobs so it's not so overwhelming?
    5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.
    6 And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.
    7 And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.
    8 And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.

    4. Physical Nourishment, water and rest are essentials to combat overwhelm.
    In Elijah's time of overwhelm notice how God took care of him. He encouraged him to nourish himself, drink water and rest. If you are in a period of overwhelm, I can not stress enough how important it is to give yourself good nourishment, drink lots of water and get good rest.

    5.Spiritual Nourishment is essential to combating overwhelm.

    Don't neglect spiritual nourishment as well. Dig deep into Scripture and find comfort and encouragement for your soul. Start now to keep a journal of verses, quotes and other things that you find along the way that are particularly encouraging to you. Then when you have stressful times when you are having trouble just thinking...turn to your journal and find those comforting scripture verses and encouraging quotes that you have picked up along the way. It comes in real handy.

    6. Remember, you are not the only one dealing with the issues you face.
    9 ¶ And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?

    What doest thou here? Ever had that happen? You are overwhelmed, sitting under your juniper tree on your pity pot and the Lord says in your heart, “What are you doing here?”

    Listen to what Elijah says:

    10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

    And I say to the Lord, “I've worked so hard trying to be a wife, mom, homemaker, and teacher. I conquer this house, but it's a mess again before I know it. They don't appreciate me or the work I do. I've been involved in the political scene, trying to make sure we don't lose our freedoms, it seems it does no good. The task of getting my kids through school is too big...there's too much to do. The kids are being unruly, my husband just sits on the couch, and I am the only one who is having these problems. No one else has any problems like these. I'm the only one.

    If you read through Elijah's story you'll find that in 1 Kings18:4 that there were was still Obadiah and a hundred prophets left. “For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)” Also in 1Ki 19:18 we find, “Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him. “ So Elijah really wasn't the only one.

    I suspect that he thought he was the only one because he isolated himself from the others. When we get overwhelmed and depressed, we tend to isolate ourselves from others and then we begin to think we are the only one that has our challenges or problems. If you get overwhelmed in your homeschooling or life in general, get out your roster and call someone. Share your struggle, ask them to pray with you and for you. You are not alone.

    11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:
    12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

    7. To combat overwhelm, we need to quiet ourselves before God.
    We are often looking for a big sign or a miracle from God. We want the earth to move or something to show us that God is still there. But God often comes in a still small voice. We must quiet ourselves before Him to hear Him sometimes. Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. We must be still to hear God's small still voice. This implies patience with our circumstances and patience with God.

    13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
    14 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

    8.Realize that you are human and you will fail but God is patient & faithful to us.
    Once again, we see God repeating the question, “What are you doing here?” And Elijah is still sitting on his pity pot.

    I love Elijah because he is just like me. So many times God comes through for me in one way or another and yet, I find myself sitting on my pity pot again and again. Elijah gives me encouragement. Not that his life gives me an excuse for anything, but just for the fact that God was so patient and faithful to him and used him in spite of his imperfections.

    Ps 103:14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

    To sum up, here's what we learned about overwhelm from Elijah:

    1. Things outside Our control can cause overwhelm.
    2. Comparing Ourselves to Others Can Cause Overwhelm
    3. The Enormity of the Task Ahead Can Cause Overwhelm..
    4. Physical Nourishment, water and rest are essentials to combat overwhelm.
    5. Spiritual Nourishment is essential to combating overwhelm.
    6. Remember, you are not the only one dealing with the issues you face.
    7. To combat overwhelm, we need to quiet ourselves before God.
    8. Realize that you are human and you will fail but God is patient & faithful.

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