Overwhelmed. Overcome. Overpowered.
Words that cast an immediate shadow of exhaustion and frustration. Too often, we befriend these words when we are overdone and overspent. We have been asked too much of and we have given more than we could. Then, we are left to reside in the state of being “over it all.”
What if these words could actually accentuate the positive and shed light on the goodness of life? What if these words were flipped and used to highlight the faithfulness of God, despite the circumstances at hand?
2021 was a hard year. Overwhelming would be an accurate adjective to apply. My guess is that most of us could attribute the same term to something that befell us in 2021. Our story is scripted in a different place with different characters and different outcomes, but our unified adjective of choice could easily have been: overwhelmed.
The technical definition of overwhelmed: to be overcome by force or by numbers, to be overpowered by thought or feelings (Merriam-Webster). Essentially, the word overwhelmed has a negative connotation. The word literally exudes unpleasant feelings and emotions.
So, in the choosing of a word for 2021, overwhelmed sounds spot-on. Overwhelmed by the rise and fall of COVID numbers, overwhelmed by the fear of the unknown, overwhelmed by working and schooling from home, overwhelmed by the multiple stances and viewpoints about all things, overwhelmed by the lack of forgiveness and acceptance, overwhelmed by schedules, expectations, and fluctuations.
True, but not the point of this post.
See, God laid the word overwhelmed on my heart in 2021 as my word for the year. I will admit, it was a weird and off-putting word to select. I most definitely did the double-take with God to make sure I heard correctly. Usually, when selecting a yearly word, one goes for something more positive, more affirmative. In the choosing of a word though, one must recognize that the word never stands alone. A single word is never enough to encompass the movement of God’s plan - there is always a story to go with it.
I think this is why selecting a yearly word has proven good for me. I used to try to make resolutions until I felt like a failure when the follow-through didn’t occur as planned. I used to set goals for the year, loose ones that could be deciphered differently by the end of the year in case the follow-through didn’t go as planned. I used to also act like January was the only time of the year where goal-setting was acceptable. After all, shouldn’t things nicely cycle with the flip of calendar pages?
Choosing one word for the year provided me the focus I needed but it wasn’t confined to a set of lists that I could conjure up in the exhaustive days before the turn of the new year. A single word kept the door open, the script was yet to be written. In retrospection, I found that a single word applied to many facets in my life and it gave me various ways to learn and grow. Through prayer, I have selected a single word of focus for the last five years. Each year, that chosen word found itself sewed through the threads of my coming and going, it was drawn on the canvas of my dreams, it was present in the challenges and struggles, and it became a launching point for spiritual growth and an intimate trust in the Giver of that year’s word.
So, back to “overwhelmed.” How was that the word God gave me for 2021? Or, better yet, why was that the word?
Here is an entry from my prayer journal, dated January 2021:
You know what…overwhelmed has become a new favorite adjective. There was a lot that went sideways for me in 2021. And, despite the turning of the calendar, some of the sideways issues have followed me into 2022. Yet, I can positively look back at multiple circumstances and see the overwhelming work of my faithful Lord.
Time after time God proved this verse to me in 2021:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire, and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:8-11 NIV)
My thoughts would never have chosen overwhelmed as a word for the year. I also wouldn’t have self-selected the trials, the struggles, or the lessons that found their way on my agenda this past year. BUT, I also couldn’t script the open doors, the dreams fulfilled, the lives touched, the hope found, the miracles provided, and the healing given. Even when the diagnosis was disheartening and the way forward was unsure, I found the overwhelming presence of God to be my greatest source. His light overpowered the darkness and I was routinely overcome in awe and gratitude at His perfect breakthroughs.
What God says and purposes will be accomplished. It cannot be voided, It has no rival, It cannot be hidden or sequestered, It has no expiration date. We may fail to see Him working, we may question the way He is working, and we may even deny His work in our lives, but the work and the Word of God cannot be stopped.
If I can drop something in your bucket today, here is my two-fold encouragement:
If you feel overwhelmed by the world you face, allow yourself instead to be overwhelmed by the faithfulness of Jesus. Shift your focus from what is before you to WHO is for you.
While you may not typically choose a word for the year, why not begin 2022 by specifically asking God to reveal to you a word, phrase, song, or Scripture that can be a launching point for the fulfillment of His purposes in your life, this year.
God is still speaking to me about this year’s word. Currently, I am in the listening and receiving posture, in expectation that God will once again use a word to shape me, challenge me, grow me, and change me.
Even in the receiving of a new word, last year’s word isn’t neglected or forgotten or even expired. God’s movement cannot be confined to our calendar either. I know He will continue to overwhelm me with His intimacy, His purposes, and His faithfulness. No matter what your word may or may not be for this year, I know that He will also continue to show up in an overwhelming fashion to your overwhelming circumstances. After all, “As for God, His way is perfect: the Lord’s Word is flawless; He shields all who take refuge in Him.” (Psalm 18:30 NIV)
May you find overwhelming refuge in Jesus today.
Until next time my friend,
