Blogs - Chief of Pray Blog

Overcome the Overwhelming

Dreams are weird and they usually don’t mean much. Most of the time I forget ‘em before I even brush my teeth, but it’s mid-morning and I’m still thinking about last night’s dream-time dilemma: There were four cleaning ladies trying to clean my house, and it kept getting dirtier. It’s plain, I’m dreaming out my frustration. There are two things going on: 1) My living room rug continues to produce fur balls after 3 years. I can vacuum it a hundred times and it will still be fuzzy, because I unwittingly bought a short fiber rug. 2) Team Prayables continues to grow, and the to-do list is out-pacing the “it’s-done” list. That’s all, nothing major, nothing too terrible going on. Yet, they’re my little problems, and I need to deal with them.

How do you handle it when you’re overwhelmed at home? I know I have it in me to tackle an onslaught of fur balls, yet when I have nothing to show for the time spent behind the Dirt Devil, I get discouraged. And discouragement is not our friend. The spirit sags, the feet drag and the only thing looking good is the couch. It’s a learned skill, to know when to quit. Taking a break and coming back to a chore can be an answer to ending the frustration of the undone. Embrace the opportunity to finish up with a fresh perspective. Yes, I look forward to another wrestling match with my 8’x12’ fuzzy friend, but next time on my terms- I’m buying a carpet rake.

Work issues and deadlines are another story, and not so easily solved. For one thing; there are usually other people involved, money at stake, and pressure. Even though business problems seem like they should be dealt with impersonally, you’re a person and your emotions entered the workspace with you. It’s never effective to work without passion, or purpose, but to be passionate about minutiae that doesn’t serve a purpose, is just plain dumb. I get overwhelmed at work just by looking at my cluttered inbox. Even if the messages are no more important than the Daily Groupon, I am powerless to “get to it later.” No wonder I’m dreaming of a house that’s never clean. I must learn to work in the muck instead of trying to clear it.

Isn’t that what life is all about— working through challenges? I find prayer is my very own muck-raker. It’s the perfect tool to get me through the stress of feeling overwhelmed. Besides calming me down, prayer allows me to see a situation clearly, put it in perspective and make good decisions. Prayer for me; is like a pat on the back and a kick in the butt, all at the same time. It’s all the motivation I need to keep on going.

Always There

Give me the strength and wisdom
to face all adversities in life,
no matter how large or trivial.
Though I know You are always with me,
I sometimes forget
when I am wrapped up in a struggle.
The only thing I need is a gentle nudge;
the reminder that You soldier on along side me.
Help me to stop and realize,
You will never let me down.

-Dawn Tanner