What Do I Know For Sure?

What do I know for sure?

This morning on a my walk with my Jorj dog, I wasn’t in the mood to listen to music so I decided try out the podcast my sister suggested I try. The topic today was about being overwhelmed and having a tired soul. What people failed to realize is more often than not they are one of these two. We live in a world were multitasking and getting somewhere fast is a normal thing. We know when things happen almost immediately thanks to social media. We work on our “days off” by responding back to emails or texts because it will “take only just a second” and before we know it, half the day is gone. We plan our days with how many things can we get taken care of in the shortest amount of time. When the gal in the podcast described what it meant to be overwhelmed I realized it was so spot on.

Imagine having 2-3 deadlines you have to meet, your day is planned with a bunch of activities and you realize that your stomach has been growling for quite some time now. You head to the nearest fast food place, walk in (with mask on of course) and you look up at the menu board, and this is where you stand for a few minutes. The cashier looks at you with anticipation, the people behind you look at you wondering if you are going to make a move and you can do nothing but stand there unable to make a decision. Eventually you let the people behind you go because you realize that you have no idea what you want and the ability to make a decision is lost to you. After stepping back and taking a breather you place your order and get out of there as quick as you can. I chuckle and want to cry at the same time because I have been that overwhelmed to the point that making simple decisions was beyond me. Each and every time I found myself overwhelmed and just soul tired it’s because the ability to say no and do what was good for me was not done.

So what does this have to do with what I know for sure? After my walk and listening to the podcast I was intrigued with what this gal has done for the last few years. She makes lists and writes down anything she knows for sure. She then looks back on these lists and musings and looks for patterns in her life where she had growth, where she felt like she was in a season of change or when there were times that there was no change at all. These lists and musings helped her to realize times where she was overwhelmed or even when her soul just felt heavy and tired. They also helped her see times of such great joy and happiness. I knew that once I had time today I would sit down and write my own list and see if I could keep doing it so that I could start seeing patterned in my life as well. So here is the start to my list:

• I know I am a daughter of Christ
• I know that no matter how much I mess up Christ has forgiven me and He loves me
• I am sure of my husband’s love for me
• I know that no matter how flat I am because my kids have “thrown me under the bus” so many times they can always make me flatter
• I am sure that sitting out on my back deck in the early evening in the summer is one of the best things in the world
• I am sure that my jabber box son does not have the ability to run out of things to say
• I know I will always worry about my kids and what they chose to follow in this society.
• I know for sure I DO NOT like Fortnight.
• I know that I absolutely love my job but it is also the biggest contributor to my being overwhelmed and tired.
• I know for sure that when we are able to stop wearing masks I will burn every single one of mine
• I know that I find my peace and my soul finds rest when I am out in the woods preferably by a lake or river.
• I know that when pedestals are raised too high the fall hurts more than just physically
• I know that a person who is humble is respected more by me than someone who feels they need to flaunt what they know.
• The smell of a recently mowed lawn is amazing, add in kids playing and laughing and my day is made.
• Friendships that last longer than 10 years are life long friendships.
• Loving enough to speak your mind is better than holding your tongue because “you just don’t want to deal with it”
• Knowing you have helped a pet in need is a wonderful feeling.
• Being a pet’s advocate and doing all you can to make them comfortable is one of the main reasons I do the job I do
• I realize that I have such a hard time watching a show or movie where there is the slightest chance an animal will be hurt or lost.
• And finally (at least for today’s list) Learning when to let go is both painful and liberating

I can’t say that I will be able to do a list like this daily but my goal is to try and keep my list going. I am excited to be able to glean information about myself that I didn’t know. Want to join me? I would love to see your lists, get to know you and walk alongside you as you start to recognize when you are “soul tired and overwhelmed” Leave a comment, sign up on the email list and check out my other blog posts. Until next time:

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls-Jesus

Matthew 11:29