Rediscovering Christmas – Overwhelmed In A Good Way

Okay, so it’s the 8th day of December. We are 17 days away from Christmas. How are we doing so far this season?

We’ve been traveling together on this Rediscovering Christmas journey for a number of days now. (You can catch up here if you’ve missed some.) I’m appreciating what God is teaching me through this series. I’m finding this Christmas season a little brighter. I pray God is brightening your season through this series, too.

Three different people I chatted with in passing this week all said the same two words.

“I’m overwhelmed.”

Each shared a few sentences as to why, and even though my situation was different, I could totally relate. One hadn’t organized her shopping list yet and felt she was running out of time. One was stressing about not finalizing her home decorating yet. Another was working so many hours that she felt the Christmas season was passing her by.

Just like these above, when I’ve said “I’m overwhelmed,” I’ve used them to describe a negative feeling in my life, usually indicating I have too much on my plate and too much in my schedule.

Are you feeling this same way this season?

Just for reference I looked in the thesaurus for synonyms of the world overwhelm. Thesaurus.com gave me:

crush; defeat; destroy; engulf; overcome; smother

I know what it’s like to feel crushed under the weight of too much to do. I have felt all too often the defeat of busyness. I’ve also understood how it feels to be smothered and overcome with stress.

These synonyms got me thinking and questioning, however. Why do I only use overwhelm in a negative sense? 

What if we chose this season to see the the word overwhelm as something positive?

Instead of being overwhelmed by all we have yet to do, what if we chose to be engulfed by the truth of the birth of our Savior?

Instead of being overwhelmed with racing against the clock, what if we chose to be smothered by God’s love, grace, forgiveness, and mercy?

And, instead of feeling overwhelmed with the pressure of the season, what if we allowed ourselves to be overcome by the beauty of it all?

I’m okay with being overwhelmed in a good way.

Yes, I might have to retrain my mind to think differently, and yes, I’ll probably have to fight against the temptation to use “I’m overwhelmed” negatively. But, I’m willing to try. I desire to experienced being overwhelmed in a good way this season.

What do you think? How could you use “I’m overwhelmed” positively today, this week? What’s the one good thing you desire to be overwhelmed by this Christmas season? I’d sure love to read your answers below.

Let’s be overwhelmed this season together.

Tomorrow we’re taking this a step further. I invite you back for the discussion.

In the meantime, may God bless you as He overwhelms you with Himself!

Much love,

Julie

 

 

Linking this post with my friends Suzie and Crystal.