I think Sarah Groves spoke my heart the best when I heard her sing these words recently...
There are so many ways to hide
There are so many ways not to feel
There are so many ways to deny what is real
Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by life. Do you?
It's many demands, in every area. A continuous stream of activity- physical, emotional, mental, ever-flowing and overflowing energy; most of the time excessive. Do you ever feel this way?
And then the never ending relentless task of putting a finger on it, diagnosing the problem and trying desperately to figure out how to repair it only to find most times it's beyond repair. So we do what Sarah describes in her song- We find ways to hide- ways to numb the pain- ways to deny what's really happening. How do you hide? I go to Target. How do you numb the pain? I eat and drink. And how do you deny your reality? I tell people, "I’m good, great, things are good, just busy- you know. Just keep smiling”, I tell myself.
We can't hide from God. In Psalm 139 David says to God, "You have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely O God. You hem me in- behind and before. Where can I go from your Spirit?Where can I flee from your presence?"
David continues to name all of the places that it would seem impossible for God to be with him and then agrees with God that even in those places, God is there.
In the heavens, in the depths, on the wings of dawn, on the far side of the sea. I don't know about you but knowing God is EVERYWHERE with me all the time gives me great reassurance. I think often times we take that reality for granted. I mean really????...everywhere?! That is awesome. That is God. Pure Awesomeness. Sarah's song continues to address the issue: Spending my time sleep walking Moving my mouth but not saying a thing Hoping the changes would take by working their way from the outside in
I was in love with an idea
Preoccupied with how a life should appear
Spending my time at the surface repairing the holes in the shiny veneer
"Preoccupied with how life should appear." That line gets me. This trips me up. How much time I spend thinking about how my life should appear- and trying to repair the holes, instead of putting my weight of the world on the one who created the world. But we have to make the decision to choose to put our hope in HIS promises: With Him all things are possible. He will never walk alone or ever be in need. He wants us to live an abundant life. If He is for us who can be against us? He will give us perfect peace... just to name a few. Listen to Sarah pour out hope- which is why I love her so much... I'm going to live my life inspired
Look for the holy in the common place
Open the windows and feel all that's honest and real until I'm truly amazed
I'm going to feel all my emotions
I'm going to look you in the eyes I'm going to listen and hear until it's finally clear and it changes our lives
I want to start looking for the holy in the common place. Even when my common place feels overwhelmed. Especially when my commonplace feels overwhelmed. When I started asking God to show me the holy in my commonplace of feeling overwhelmed, I heard him tell me to share it: Tell them you feel this way often. Offer them my hope and direction. Tell them what brings you perfect peace when the storms in your life are whirling uncontrollably around you...tell them it's me that brings you perfect peace. And tell them I'm using it for good. They may not see the good right this minute but I am using it. That is a promise. Using it to make them more like me. Tell them to trust me. It's all I am asking them to do. Trust in my strength. I have redeemed them. Whatever is true, pure, lovely, worthy... think on these things. Tell them to think on these things.
The chorus in the song is the best part: And I just showed up for my own life
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