I collapsed on the couch after a particularly brutal test. Three children. A job. Nursing school. What was I thinking? “God, please help me. It’s too much!”
Knock, knock. My friends were at the door. Jobless. Homeless. Freezing. They wondered if the girls could stay overnight.
Of course, they can. I ordered pizzas. My girls pulled their girls upstairs to play with the new dollhouse. “Thank you, Jesus, that I can help them.”
But the next day, there was another knock—a DHS worker. There were complaints. They were taking custody. Did we want to become foster parents?
“No, Jesus, I can’t! Not now. Wait. Where will these precious girls go? We’ve been friends for years. Jesus, what should I do? Umm. Well. OK. They can stay.”
Why are crises so inconvenient?
Later, I curled up in a little ball and cried. “It’s too much, God! I can’t do this! Help me!”
His Spirit calmed me. I felt Him whisper, “What’s important? Only do that. Nothing else. Take one day at a time. Trust Me.”
“OK, Jesus, help me prioritize.” Then, I wrote a plan that included more fast food and less worrying about a clean house. When I would study, I would pray for God’s help to open my mind to what I needed to learn, as I knew I couldn’t do it all.
A few days later, my face was buried in a textbook. “Mom, can we go to the beach?” the kids interrupted with imploring eyes. “Please, Mom, please?”
“Well,” I thought, “studying is a high priority, but so is making memories.”
“OK, Kids, grab towels, water, and the dog. I’ll grab my keys and textbook.”
While they frolicked in the waves and buried each other in the sand, I sat on a piece of driftwood, shading the bright sun from my book with my hand. As I turned the pages, I wiped the sand off the book, or it left little gritty bumps. The warm sun bathed my head. The cool breeze gently brushed my face.
As my brain absorbed the knowledge that “borborygmus” refers to the sound of a hungry stomach, the fresh sea air, and roaring waves were calming medicine for my soul.
Over the next few months, God helped me pass my tests with good grades, graduate, and pass my RN exam. He helped us with the many emotional ups and downs with the girls, and we all survived. The same week I started working as an RN, the girls moved in with their grandparents. We cried.
With God’s help, it wasn’t too much, after all.
When life is too much for you to handle, tell Jesus. Let His loving Spirit calm you and teach you how to overcome. I needed to learn to prioritize, but He may have a different lesson for you.
Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust; cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You. Psalm 143:8
For more on how to cope, follow these links.
https://soundmindtalk.com/anxiety/philippians-4-the-mental-health-chapter/
https://soundmindtalk.com/anxiety/17-ways-to-deal-with-stress/
