On Being Overwhelmed

It happens. Life keeps marching on and all of a sudden, you are adulting. Fun, yes. And also no. Along with growing up comes stress, bills, college, bills, work, and bills. I'm not complaining. But today as I was sitting through the first day of my nursing program, it hit my how overwhelmed I was. I hate to admit this, but I felt like crying. I suddenly started to wonder if I could do this. Then it hit me:

I couldn't do it.

I can't do nursing school. No way. It's too hard.

At least, it is on my own.

But then I remembered the last part of John 15:5: "... apart from me you can do nothing." 

I know I'm not strong enough to do this on my own. And whatever you're going through, whether it be school, or work, or whatever is overwhelming you -- it's okay to admit that you are weak. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says that God's strength is made perfect in our weakness.

So how do we stop feeling overwhelmed? Give it over to the Lord. That's easier said than done, especially if you're like me, who wants to fix everything myself. Trying to do things myself will just lead to burnout. Here's the cool thing, though. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philipians 4:13). We have free access to Christ's strength, if we ask for it.

I wish I could say that I practice what I preach when I'm stressed. But I'm still learning. Something that helps me is listening to songs that remind me of God's power. The most crucial thing I've learned though, is to constantly be in the Word. Reading the Bible and talking with God at the beginning of the day is a must for me. I can tell when I skip, and I'm pretty sure my family would say that they can too. Find verses that will help you when you feel like you can't go on. Some that have helped me are Proverbs 16:3, Matthew 6:33, Isaiah 41:10, and Galations 6:9.

Don't get discouraged when you feel overwhelmed. It's completely normal. It's good to realize that you can't do something on you're own. That's what keeps us humble and ultimately, what makes us realize that we need a Savior.

What do you do when you're overwhelmed? I'm open to advice!! 

Emily
xoxo