over.whelmed.

Disclaimer: This post may not be for everyone, but I have a feeling its for most of the people I know.

At some point, we could all identify with feeling like life is too much. We have times in our lives when it seems there’s a never ending to-do list. As much as you move and do, it feels like nothing actually gets done. And as soon as you think you’ve crossed everything off the list, something else pops up and the cycle continues.

Sometimes, I feel this sensation when approaching the topic of my purpose. I am constantly overwhelmed and burdened with the fact that so many needs exist in our society and yet I am the only person (in my prideful mind) that seems to be concerned enough to be thinking about solutions. The reality is that there are probably many others thinking about those very same needs, but if they feel like I feel, they too are overwhelmed and trying to figure out where to start.

I had to learn that instead of trying to save the whole world, I needed to figure out which part of the world I’m called to save. That is hard work, (that I have to be reminded of constantly.) Biting off more than you can chew is a real thing that produces burn out and incomplete tasks.

Having a heart that is sensitive to a particular group of people or a place in and of itself, can be burdensome.

Nehemiah is someone who’s heart for a place lead him to heading up a huge project that was successfully accomplished.

Point number 1: It is possible!

Don’t allow yourself to be so overwhelmed with the vision that you talk yourself out of trying to make it happen. Pointing out that it is possible first, is critical in our decision to engage with the thing that grieves us the most.

After Nehemiah wept and cried out to God about Jerusalem, he assessed the needs and then he shared the vision.

Point number 2: Stop trying to do it alone!

Nehemiah was strategic about who he shared the vision with, but after giving it some thought, he did recruit a team of people to help him get it done. As it turns out, the people he chose went on to say “Let’s get to work!” without his prompting.

Point number 3: If you pick the right people, they will lift the burden.

I didn’t wanna go here, but sometimes we choose to work with people that don’t have the desire and heart for the same things that we care about. In those cases, we find ourselves expending valuable energy trying to motivate them to help us, instead of using it for the actual mission at hand.

What I desire to be taken from this point, is that people who care about you may not have the same care for your vision. You don’t have to get rid of them,  just identify the role people are supposed to play in your life, and act accordingly.

Be encouraged!

You’re not alone and your mission and vision can be accomplished with the right group of people.

You don’t need to be overwhelmed, you need to be focused on the purpose it will serve when your vision becomes a reality.

I heard a sermon recently that was about perspective and I’m learning that life is centered around that concept. What you focus on is what will either push you forward or hold you back.

Try not to focus on how big the task is, but rather the enormous need it will meet once it is accomplished.

Let’s build for the Kingdom,

Kiana