“Too Much” Adds Up to Overwhelming

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10, NIV)

Why do we so often feel overwhelmed? The answer may lie in just two words—too much. In our fast-paced, tech-driven society, many of us are all but drowning in:

Too much information. Every day we are bombarded by hundreds of bits of information from emails, texts, phone calls, junk mail, voice mail, meetings at work, billboards, TV, and radio. Each piece of information eats away a tiny chunk of our time and depletes a bit of our finite daily reserves of emotional and mental bandwidth.

Too much stuff. There is nothing inherently wrong with owning stuff! It’s just that many possessions come with invisible strings attached. When we have too much stuff to insure, keep clean, update, polish, paint, maintain, organize and/or store, stuff can be more of a burden than a blessing. The time-draining responsibilities of owning a lot of stuff can contribute to our sense of being overwhelmed.

Too much bad news. Thanks to high-speed worldwide newsgathering, we now hear about tragedies nearly every day. This relentless daily flow of heartbreaking news from all over the world also contributes to our sense of being overwhelmed.

All of this is on top of the normal things we must manage—our jobs, groceries, gas, laundry, bills, housework, appointments, family relationships, and so much more. Exhausting? Yes. Yet...this is just real life in the 21st century, right? Yes again. But here’s the problem: when we are living overwhelmed, stressed-out, and running on empty, it not only robs us of joy; it can also keep us from fulfilling our true purpose in life—the “good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

John Vaughan, a preacher in the early 20th century, said, “God never gives his work indiscriminately...His ‘works’ are not suited to everybody alike. You could not do mine; and I cannot do yours...In the fact that the ‘work’—whatever it be—is God’s own appointment for you, there is a sure warrant of success. He planned and constructed it before you touched it.”^a

None of us has the time or superhuman energy to accomplish everything we must do, could do, and would like to do in life. But did you catch Vaughan’s point? If we set our hearts to follow God’s unique plan for us, we are sure to succeed! God will see to it that we have everything we need to accomplish what he planned ahead of time for us to do. But here’s the thing—in this “too much,” overwhelming modern world, an over-busy lifestyle can mask God’s unique, higher purpose for our lives. And so, we must partner with God to “unmask” what overwhelms and hinders us, then prayerfully and deliberately make room in our lives for the good works the Lord has planned and tailor-made for each of us to do.

Questions to Ponder and Pray About

• If life felt less overwhelming, how might that free you to more fully embrace the “good works” that God has in mind for you to do?
• How can you reduce the overwhelming flow of information coming at you every day?
• How much time do you want to invest in the upkeep of material things?
• How much bad news does it take to overwhelm you? Do you need to limit your exposure to media?