As soon as I woke up this morning, I felt completely overwhelmed with the day. Not only the day, but the week, as well. All I saw was the number of tasks, jobs, and chores that needed to be done. All the while, the feeling of it all being impossible set heavily upon me.

And I will not go into detail about those tasks because they only foster an environment of comparison. One can look at your list and say, “That’s it! Well, I have this, that, and that to do.” Or another may feel they don’t measure up to some invisible standard.

In addition, I have had some frustrations that have contributed to that feeling of overwhelm, making everything feel that much heavier.

As I sat with my Bible this morning and began my devotional reading, this thought dropped in my spirit: You are overwhelmed because you are out of balance. And the more I thought about being out of balance and overwhelmed, the more I realized it came down to trusting God with what I was facing.

Hear me out, these were not monumental things that were overwhelming and frustrating me. It was a bunch of little things. And not just little things, but many little things that gave the feeling of being just too much.

And, it was too much.

Here’s what I have had to learn: it is not all going to get done in one day, or maybe even in this one week. I have to not only be okay with that, but also trust in God that even when it is not all working on a timetable that I desire, it is still going to be alright. I don’t have to get myself worked up over it.

The more that pressed in my spirit, the more relief I started to feel. Tears of gratitude just flowed in prayer, and my heart felt significantly lighter.

Our normal, daily, humdrum lives can be absolutely overwhelming at times without something monumental going on. But God has always given us the invitation to bring our troubles, frustrations, burdens, and our feelings of overwhelm to Him and lay them at His feet. Even the humdrum daily stuff:

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

“Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22

“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

Jesus, Himself, said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

What kind of rest? Rest of the heart and mind – a place where peace can reign even in the midst of frustration and overwhelm.

You may have heard all of this before, so consider this your gentle reminder: You do not have to carry it all alone. 

Fretting over it and wringing your hands in anxiety is not helping. But when you invite the Lord in the process of carrying what you’re struggling to carry, the imagery of His hands coming behind us and helping us to balance the load that seems to be tipping over comforts my heart.

When we look at our load and realize, you know what, it’s not all going to get done. And that’s okay because I want to live in balance, which means trusting God with the outcome, regardless of what it looks like right now.

When we learn to bring trusting God into balance, everything that is overwhelming will fall into its proper place.

“I am at rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will never be shaken.” Psalm 62:1-2, CSB

“From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Psalm 61:2

Father God, thank You for giving us permission and the space to bring it all to You today. Every frustration, everything we are dealing with on the inside, and every circumstance surrounding us. Lord, we lay them all at Your feet. You are our very present help in the time of trouble (Psalm 46:1) and our refuge from life’s storms. In You, we hide and shelter ourselves, trusting in Your hand at work in us and for us. Thank You, that in everything we face, and in everything we meet, we can come and meet with You concerning it and lay the weight of it down. In the big things, the little things, the overwhelming things, and the frustrating things, God, we trust You. Help us to live out that trust, in the name of Jesus Christ, we pray, AMEN!

Friends, giving it to God is step one. Step two is recognizing hindrances to getting tasks done. Is your time being spent wisely? Are you scrolling through social media too much, etc.? Or, are you just being busy without really being productive in your goals?

Next, to help with the feeling of overwhelm, pick out 1-3 top tasks that absolutely must be done or will give you a great sense of accomplishment. To have those main things checked off will lighten the load you are carrying.

Then you can work on other little things as long as they are not adding to the overwhelm. Remember, you are a human with limited time and energy, not a machine. You must make space to care for yourself.

And finally, go back to God and ask Him to help you identify the next set of priorities and not just desires. God will give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4), but not to overwhelm. We must recognize the difference and importance of each thing that “needs” to be done. Then, little by little, small step by small step, things will get done without your feeling crushed by overwhelm.

We trust God for some things: our faith, deliverance, and all those big things that easily turn us to Him, seeking help. But friends, we can trust Him to help us with our time, schedules, and tasks that are before us this day and this week as well.