I am tired. I am tired of the weather pattern we are in. I am tired of shoveling snow. I am tired of how disruptive it can be. My daughter Amanda and our granddaughter Brooke were going to come visit. And for the second weekend in a row, they are not able to come because of the snow.
This morning, in mid-whine about not being able to see Amanda and Brooke and feeling just a little sorry for myself, I went out to move the garbage and recyclables to the curb and saw more snow. More snow! The snow along the side of our driveway is getting pretty high.
When I think about it, I know that in the big picture of life, the snow we are experiencing is not that big of a deal. At least I am safe. At least I can remove the snow. But I am reminded how easy it is to get overwhelmed.
It can happen with the smallest of things. It can happen when work doesn’t go well. It can happen when money is tight. It can happen when relationships don’t go well. It can happen when someone we love is sick or hurt or dies. It is easy to get overwhelmed.
In the Gospel of Mark, the disciples couldn’t help a man whose child was hurting. Jesus asked some questions, and then sent the evil spirit out. Later, the disciples said, “Why? Why couldn’t we deal with this spirit? Why was it so overwhelming for us?”
Jesus said, “Sometimes, only prayer can make a difference.”
I think Jesus was reminding his disciples and us, when we get overwhelmed, that we don’t have to try and make it on our own. We can turn to God. We can invite God to walk with us, to calm our troubled spirits, to lift the burden of life from us. If you have been feeling overwhelmed lately, are you able to turn to God? Or have you been trying to do too much on your own?
Yes, I am tired of the weather pattern we are in. It has disrupted my life and my expectations of many things. But I know this, March is here. Winter will end. Spring will come. The weather is in God’s hands, not mine. I am okay. I will be okay.
My hope and prayer is that when we feel overwhelmed, we can turn to God in hope and prayer, to let God make a difference to help us through.
In the hope Jesus offers us,
Rev. Scott Carlson