Overwhelmed
This past weekend I finally had time to do some work around the house. But the first thing I wanted to tackle was cleaning out my truck. It had been some time since I had done it, so it was needed. I just hadn’t realized how badly it was overdue. I have an extended cab with four doors, but the back ones are really only half-size. It’s amazing all the things that will accumulate in there. There is a back seat, but with everything in the seats and on the floorboard, there was no way someone could actually sit there. So, I began cleaning it out. I had a trash bag with me knowing I would need it. I began filling it with empty cups that had held my half-n-half teas to-go from various restaurants. Then, I began crushing empty water bottles and putting them into the bag. I was reaching underneath the seats, pulling out candy wrappers, gas receipts, old golf score cards, and various other trash items and putting them into the bag. I came across all kinds of papers and envelopes with some of them dating back several years. I then began going through the different objects that I kept in there such as umbrellas, jackets, hats, work gloves, moving blankets, bug spray, my metal detector, books, CDs, bowling pins, pieces of wood, clam shells, clamps, and ratchet straps. Finally, I had removed all the trash and everything else out of the cab. Then I carefully put only the things I really needed to keep in the truck back in an orderly fashion. All the other stuff, I put in the garage or wherever it needed to go in the house. I put at least twenty or more CDs back with my stereo downstairs. And I threw away two umbrellas that had holes in them along with one large completely stuffed bag of trash. I thought to myself, “How was I carrying so much stuff around in my truck?”
It’s amazing how trash and stuff can accumulate around us. It starts with just a little mint wrapper or an empty water bottle that you just put in the back floorboard out of your way. A neat looking shell you picked up at the beach or a letter you forget to take in when you got home. We don’t think about it, but very quickly, a little here and there adds up to a lot. Finally, you look around one day and find yourself surrounded by trash and clutter.
That can happen in all areas of our lives, especially emotionally and spiritually. A little altercation occurs with someone, and we hold on to it and don’t let it go. Something happens politically and we keep going through it in our mind. We worry about what may happen with ourselves, a family member or friend and remain anxious, wondering if or when it will happen. Things continue to come upon us that concern us, and we just don’t know what to do with them, so we carry them around in our minds, not sure if we need to be concerned or if they really matter. All of this just weighs us down more and more. Our minds become clouded, and our strength seems to be zapped. We look around and don’t know what to do. We’re overwhelmed. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.” Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” God can clear all the clutter from our minds and lives. He is the only one who can truly give us peace emotionally and spiritually. His Holy Spirit guides us and gives us the ability to discern and understand what really matters. Even with all the turmoil and uncertainty that surrounds us, we don’t need to fear and worry. We have the peace of God. Isaiah 26:3-4 says, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.”
It may take some time for you to truly feel that overwhelming peace. It took me two hours to clean out my truck. And I didn’t even vacuum the carpet or clean the dashboard and windows. But it felt so good to be able to drive it knowing all the mess was no longer around me. Even if that peace is not immediately felt, know that God is there with you and rest in His promise. Trust in His Word.
Bro. Paul Reed
Tuesday, January 11, 2022