{ Overwhelmed? (DAY 446) }

I didn’t know I was overwhelmed until I heard the deep exhale my soul let out.  Someone on Instagram that I follow had added a picture of the nationals of Syria and before I read what he said my heart clenched a little tighter.  Thankfully by the time I read the rest of his comment I was able to breath a little easier.

You see recently I have heard of so much pain.  There is the pain of friends hurting who are in my life and the knowledge that the earth groans under the weight of suffering its inhabitant endure.  It’s pastor Saeed imprisoned in Iran, upheaval in Ukraine, the plight of those in sex trafficking, people dying from lack of food and water, the aftermath of the typhoon that hit the Philippines….and the list goes on and on.  My heart is grieved for all these things.  Yet honestly when I hear about them I get paralyzed.  Sure I’m trying to help my kiddos in India and I try to be aware of what’s going on in the world but being aware in part means we are responsible.

Right about then is where I feel overwhelmed.  I’m just one person. What can I do to meet all these needs?  Should I be involved in helping each of these issues?  These are just a few of the questions that immediately spring to mind.  Due to social media and even television we are so much more clued into what is going on in the world than ever before.  Before all the advances in technology one would typically only be aware of what was happening in their own community and maybe country at best.  News just didn’t travel as fast.  Now we are inundated with information.

I don’t know about you but sometimes I need to have it broken down into smaller bites.  So when my friend went on to explain he would be putting up specific prayer requests for the people of Syria on Sundays I breathed a bit easier.  Okay I can do that.  I can pray for this need as I see it.  Reality is we can’t do everything to help everyone.  It’s just not possible.  Here’s the amazing thing: we aren’t called to.  That’s why we need a savior, Jesus.  He’s here to save and we get to partner with him.  He’s also good and sovereign and in control.  So just take one step.  Isn’t that how any marathon is run?  Step by step we make progress and change.  At the moment I’m not fully sure what that means for me in the future but right this moment it means being a good steward of the things God has put in my life.  It can change in a blink of an eye but be faithful until you feel led towards other things.

Prayer is an amazing gift and incredibly powerful.  It truly is one of the best things we can do, be consistent with this.  Pick something or a few things you feel that you can do.  Support a local cause or pick a trusted international group that provides relief if you can.  In every season we are called to take action but it may look different from time to time. For me currently that means being an advocate and fundraiser for my precious children in India (all 550!) and praying for needs as I hear of them.  It means comforting friends who are hurting and being a avid listener.  I’m pretty sure the list will grow and change.

I’d love to hear from you on this topic.  Do you ever feel overwhelmed by all the needs and suffering in the world?  How do you break it down into manageable pieces?  What are you currently being faithful with?  I’m so excited to hear your answers in the comments below because this topic has been on my mind a lot lately.