The past year has been challenging for all of us, in one way or another. Whether it’s COVID-19, inflation, job stress, health issues, or a myriad of other concerns, without the hope of being in relationship to God, we are easily overwhelmed.
If you’ve been overwhelmed recently, you might wonder if perhaps you failed God in some way. You feel guilty for not having enough faith, or disappointed in yourself for not spending time with God like you should.
I’m not here to judge your spiritual walk. Instead, I’d like to offer a different perspective altogether. What if the question isn’t about failure, but about perseverance? Waiting and enduring are parts of every Christian’s life experience.
Believe me, I wish tough times and stress were avoidable, but they are not.
So, what do you do while you wait for things to change and get better?
1. Don’t Trust Your Emotions
A number of years ago, Dr. James Dobson wrote a book entitled, Emotions, Can You Trust Them? and the implied answer was, NO WAY! Think about it, how many times have you and I said things during an argument that we regretted and had to later apologize for!?
In the heat of the moment, we believed it, and we certainly “felt it”, but in a matter of moments we recognized that our unreliable emotions had once again let us down.
So, avoid rash decisions and reactions and work, with God’s help, to control your emotions, words, and actions.
2. Focus On The Good
Does this sound like a cop-out to you or something that you would expect a “professional Christian” to say? If you said yes, I don’t blame you for feeling that way. Like you, I too have been the victim of many a drive-by Christian cliché. You know, “let go and let God” or my favorite, “God works in mysterious ways.”
But consider the alternative. When you fixate on your problems or issues, has that ever helped you? I doubt it! In fact, you probably alienate yourself from the very ones that can help you. I mean, admit it, who wants to be around someone who ONLY thinks of himself and is seldom, if ever, grateful for anything?
3. Connect With People Who Give You Hope
It may be a family member, a friend or a co-worker but stay connected. Share, pray, cry, laugh, and repeat as many times as needed to find your equilibrium.
Maya Angelou once said, “Every storm runs out of rain.” Simple, and yet profound. God is faithful, and good and you will get through this season.
Dick Whitworth
Director of Operations, STAR 99.1
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I have been really feeling overwhelmed. I went through a divorce and I’m all alone without my wife and my kids. This gives me hope. Thank you.
You’re not alone, Eric. I’ve been where you are and know the pain you are feeling. Cling to the Heavenly Father and He will sustain you. I know you may not see it now, but there is life after divorce. I look back on what I have been through and can see how God worked everything for my good. It will take time, but I believe that you will see the same. Praying for you, Brother!
Eric,
I don’t blame you for feeling overwhelmed. Divorce, separation, and the pain associated with all of that are what I would expect you to feel, but as you say, there is hope. It will take time, but God can help you as you work through the steps to healing and recovery.
If your church has a divorce recovery group, I would encourage you to check it out. It is helpful and encouraging to know that you are not alone in your grief and loss.
Again, I am so sorry for all of you. We are praying for you.
Thanks, also for listening to STAR 93.3.
God bless you.
Dick Whitworth
I have been listening to STAR 93.3 for a long time and I love you guys, I love everything about you guys from the music to the talk show ❤ I know when I am feeling down or overwhelmed with everything that’s going on in this world 🌎 , I know we are living in the end times and I know that Jesus is coming back soon and with listening to you makes me feel better,
God bless you.
Melanie Bardua
This is just incredible and shows me again how God is always with us and gently nudging us (I like to call them God Winks), in the right direction! We just need to be still and listen! I have been listening to 93.3 for many years, but in the last four years, it is the only radio station I have on when driving in my car! The last four years have also been very challenging, as well, to say the least. In February of 2020, my husband’s brother, and best friend, died of cancer. He was diagnosed in July of 2019. In April, my 23 year old son came home to ask for help. He is an addict and was FINALLY coming to the reality of it. We found a facility in South Carolina where he stayed for 2 months, but it was not long enough. We had to ask him to leave in October, and I was calling the police to ask them to pull him over and arrest him, he was spiraling. He did get arrested, but for reasons other than what I had imagined. He was getting drugs for his friends and selling it to them, and two of them died of overdoses. While in the county jail, which I did not get him out as I knew he would have died from drugs, he was accepted into a drug program that helped him tremendously and got to the core of why he started using drugs in the first place. It had to do with trauma that started when he was very young and continued through his teenage years. It was a family member, a cousin, that was only about a year older than him. My husband and I had no idea. I talked to my sisters, since one of them was the mother of the cousin, as recommended by the counselor, to let them know that this cousin was a trigger, and we could no longer go to family functions where he would be, and I will just say that I no longer have a relationship with them as they do not want to believe that it happened. My son was sentenced to 25 years this August and now we are adjusting to a life with our son in prison. BUT, so many “God Winks” have come out of this. My son’s relationship with God is so strong and he tells me he knows that Jesus is with him and protecting him, to not fall into those traps and mindsets that trigger him into making the wrong decisions. He was able to help others while in his program through jail, because he had opened up about what happened to him. I have had so many reach out to me to tell me how much my son means to them and that they are praying for him and for us. I am a high school teacher and I have been very open about my son, because I want my students to know what horrible impacts drugs can have not only on them, but their families as well. I had one of my young ladies, email me after I was having a bad day at school, to let me know she understood and that both her mother and father were in jail because of drugs, and she was encouraging me to be strong. This was the day before she was going to her grandmother’s funeral. Her grandmother was her guardian. I knew this was Jesus coming through letting me know no matter how bad things seem to be, He is always there. I may have lost my side of my family, but my school family have been so supportive and kind and I feel so blessed to have them in my life. I could go on and on, about all the good that has come from what my husband, my two daughters, and I have gone through in the last couple of years, and when I fell upon this post, which has explained it perfectly, I had to reply! Thank you 93.3 for all of your encouragement, not only on the radio, but through the internet as well! Songs that you have played would come at the exact moment that I needed them, finding this post on line, encouraging stories told, they have all helped me look at the positives, when it could have been so easy just to shut down. God Bless each and every one of you and I am so grateful that God helped me to find your station!
Thank you for sharing your story with us, Pam! We’re so sorry to hear about all of the hardships that you’ve endured, but also praising God that you’re trusting Him through it all.