When You Can’t Take Any More
“Lord, I can’t take anymore.”
Y'all ever feel that way? Like you just can’t take one more portion on your plate or you just might implode?
For the last few weeks, I’ve been drowning in to-do lists and should I’s. When a new job opportunity presented itself, I found myself wavering back and forth with each passing hour, never feeling completely at peace with either decision. Worry plagued my mind and anxiety, my heart. Add in a few ill family members, emotionally charged kiddos, and my work behind the scenes of THE LIVE JOY LIFE, our house was a hotbed of chaos.
And then it happened. The familiar “thud” in my chest I’d felt before.
Palpitations.
Once again I’d allowed myself to get so worked up about my external surroundings, it literally broke my heart. Marinated in weeks of worry, lack of sleep, and fret, my heart no longer knew how to function properly.
In my worry—my brokenness—I was embarrassed. How was I going to sit here and share with you all the ways to LIVE JOY, when I couldn’t seem to find it myself? But friends, that’s when it hit me. I wasn’t living a LIVE JOY LIFE, I was living the principles of fear and doubt.
Find Your Foundation
I wasn’t leaning into my FAITH to recognize all God has in store for me. I wasn’t allowing my HOPE in God to show me the beauty of the grandest Orchestrator. Fear of the unknown had masked my GRATITUDE for all I’d been given. And I surely wasn’t CARING FOR MYSELF. When was the last time I allowed myself to sit in the STILLNESS of Christ and just allow Him to hold my worries, to heal my broken heart?
For weeks I’d been so busy worrying about what was going to happen, I’d forgotten to LIVE the principles of THE LIVE JOY LIFE I’ve seen change my life. But you know what?
RATHER THAN FEEL GUILTY ABOUT MY INADEQUACIES, I DECIDED FOR ONCE, I’M GOING TO GIVE MYSELF THE GRACE GOD HAS SHOWN ME.
And friend, just like each year has its change in season, so do we. And if you are in a season of change or uncertainty, it’s okay. You are human and God knows our imperfections and LOVES you anyway. He sees you in the season you’re in and walks beside you, lifting you up off the ground to carry you when you need Him.
I know it doesn’t always feel like it. I know it’s hard to believe it when you just can’t seem to take one more thing. That moment is when you have to lean into your foundation of FAITH.
Strengthen Your FAITH
Here are a few ways I strengthen my faith:
Download our Bible Verses page or our Daily Prayer and read the promises of God over and over again until you start to believe them
Turn the radio to your favorite Christian station or try “Rescue,” by Lauren Daigle or “God’s Not Done With You,” by Tauren Wells
Praise Him so loud you can’t hear the negative voices in your head with “It’s Already Done,” by Joel Vaughn
Pull out your favorite journal and write down all the memories you have of times God pulled you out of a tough situation
Then today, and every day from here forward, every minute, every hour, surrender your life back to God.
“I will no longer worry for I know God will divinely guide and INSPIRE me.”
“I will look at my children with GRATITUDE and LOVE for the gift they are, even when their complexities consume me.”
“I will make time for STILLNESS and promise to take better CARE OF MYSELF.”
Friend, I want you to know, in time, your sorrows and your pain will be given a purpose beyond anything you could imagine.
LIVING IN JOY DOESN’T MEAN YOU’RE IMMUNE TO THE PRESSURES AND DECISIONS OF NORMAL LIFE. IT MEANS YOU ARE MASTERFULLY CREATED AND GUIDED BY GOD WHO LOVES YOU MORE THAN YOU CAN FATHOM AND HE WILL TURN YOUR PAIN TO JOY BY GIVING IT A PURPOSE.
How THE LIVE JOY principles help
Choose 1-3 principles and work on just those.
Every morning, raise hands in GRATITUDE to God for yet another day. Before you turn to your gadget, to check an email, a text, or social media, turn to STILLNESS with God. The greatest gift you can give yourself each day is starting on the right track, with God at your side. Ask Him to join you, rain or shine, then know, with everything in your being, He promises to be with you —even if you have to remind yourself every minute of every day. Make a point throughout your day, to listen for the INSPIRATION and the guidance of the Holy Spirit in your thoughts and your heart. And when you lay down your head at night, once again, come to your Father in GRATITUDE.
And remember my dear friend, when you just can’t seem to take any more, I am here. You are meant for something BIG, but sometimes the road is rocky. We are in this together.
Sonya Joy
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