When you feel overwhelmed: Knowing my part to play

There is a kind of overwhelm that is very real to me and it has nothing to do with trying to have a Pinterest-worthy home or a beach-worthy body. I don’t get overwhelmed comparing my life with others who seem awesome. That isn’t the social-media trigger for me.

But I often feel overwhelmed by ALL THE GOOD CAUSES. Am I alone in this? Anybody else?

Just recently, I could feel that growing sense of overwhelm. The stats presented to me were overwhelming. The urgency was real. I couldn’t — didn’t want to — ignore the very real need presented, but I inwardly wrestled with the same angst I often feel in these situations:

How do I support/champion/care/give/help ALL these amazing causes?

The next morning I sat quietly with God and told Him how I felt. Often when I’m overwhelmed it helps me to write out lists of “all the things” so it loses its vague gloom-cloud feeling and becomes concrete. In my journal I began writing each thing, not just that I know about, but that have been presented to me as a worthy cause, in our world and in my life. I started far out and worked inward. It included:

World:

• Unreached people groups — gospel! 10/40 window
• Relief and development for poor in 3rd world countries: Specifically Next Generation Ministries, Child Sponsorship through World Vision, and Water projects through World Vision (6K for water)
• Homeless/poverty/drug abuse/mental illness here (Mary)
• Abortion (millions of lives) each year
• Racial reconciliation/ immigration/Refugee care (philoxenia) in USA
• Persecuted church worldwide–Voice of the Martyrs
• US and local political involvement (various critical issues)
• Human Trafficking
• Foster care & adoption (CASA)
• Young Lives ministry to single moms

At home:

• Home-educating our big kids, teaching them to love and obey God!
• Training Justice! Constant work & intentionality.
• Cooking (!), cleaning, home management–including the impact of food purchasing decisions on developing nations (fair trade), environmental impact, and HEALTH! Consider all!
• Serving and loving my parents

Local church:

• Shepherding, caring, discipleship
• Addressing marriage crises, addiction within church
• Friendships! Doing life together
• Preaching and healing like Jesus did!

So basically all of these things are swirling around in my heart and mind and every time I hear someone champion one of these things it feels like I need to be all about that things. Not only that, but it feels like there are TRENDS! So it seems like for 6-months or so everyone is all about one thing, and then six months later it feels like we’re all about something else. That’s a terrible overstatement, but at least on social media it can sure feel like that. And with all of my heart, I want to be ALL ABOUT what God is all about! I don’t want to waste my life. But quite frankly, I cannot be ALL ABOUT every single one of these things. Especially not all at once. So, pray tell, how on earth do I navigate it all?

I asked God that. Like, out loud. And I sat and waited, in silence, for Him to answer. I’m not saying this is “thus sayeth the Lord” but so clearly in my heart, I heard,

Fight sin in any form you encounter it.

Ah. I could feel my whole being settle into peace. Yes. Of course. In every single one of these endeavors, the undercurrent is fighting SIN. It is fighting some consequence of the fall. Whether I am fighting my own sin, or working on behalf of someone else who is a victim of sin, if I am actively fighting sin in any form I encounter it, I’m in step with the kingdom of God.

The next step for me was simple–which of these causes has God clearly allowed me to encounter. That is, which causes as God undeniably plopped in front of me in such a way that I know He has called me to this thing.

I made another list. This one was only 6 items long.

Ah. Yes. That is a list I can handle. That is a list of priorities I can very much get behind and actually DO something about. I CAN pray regularly over six things. I CAN give generously to six things. I CAN care, research, and give mental energy to six things.

Does it mean I don’t care about those other things? Certainly not. It means that I recognize one simple thing: I’m not God.

God is the only one with the capacity to KNOW, CARE, and be deeply invested in EVERY CAUSE. In fact, He is the only One with the emotional and mental stores to even HANDLE the truth about all the world’s woes. I honestly think part of our mental health problem is that we have OVER-KNOWN. We have taken on more than we can mentally handle, forgetting that we play a role of obedience to God but we don’t need to have a hot-take on every single headline in our feed.

I’m not talking about burying our heads in the sand, I’m talking about not sticking our nose in business that belongs only to God.

So I share my simple process, just in case anyone else out there feels this same tension. I don’t pretend to have it all figured out. Perhaps our six things will change as seasons change (likely), but for today, I will devote myself to the few things God has called me to. And trust Him to be God and mobilize others for the causes outside my reach.

{Thanks for reading.}