Help me, Jesus: meltdowns are okay

If any of you have ever dealt with anxiety or have been overwhelmed by stress… join the club!

The world says you have to keep it together—poised, controlled, smiling—and that’s what strength looks like. We are so quick to hide our weaknesses and put up a shield to keep others from seeing our struggles. Fact is… we all have meltdowns sometimes. Yep. All of us. I had one yesterday!

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:6-7, NLT)

I want you to see how strong my God is, and how much He cares.
He wants to help and give you peace. He listens.
Maybe the next time you have a meltdown, you’ll reach out to Jesus too.

I had a hard week! Triumphant at times, yes, of course! Overall, I’ve been pushed to my very limit. I got mad at myself, I got frustrated, I have a lot to do, I’m still battling sinusitis, and… my my I am tired.
Yesterday I had a meeting with my mission trip mobilizer (happy birthday, Shawndell!) and had about 5 or 6 more things added to my to-do list. Add a change of plans to the mix, my brother needing a ride from Austin, my patience getting tested, and the daunting upcoming deadlines… MeLtDoWn!

I sat down on my bed and stared up at the sign above it.

 
Tears spilled over as I thought “and all my life, and all my money, and all my plans, and all this stuff. I have to trust the Lord with everything.” And I’ll share my meltdown prayer with you:

Jesus, I know You will help me. I need help! It’s so much all at once! I am overwhelmed. Look at this bedroom: I have clothes on the floor, I have a closet full of STUFF that I don’t need or want, I have all this furniture that I pray gets sold, look at that pile of papers to sort through. I have TWO weeks before I move. I need a backpack, a tent, and go through the various checklists. I need to get vaccinated, and take extra passport pictures. I need to get international medical insurance. I need to visit and make sure my friends know I still care! Casper cat needs a new mommy, and I feel so guilty that I can’t take care of him anymore. I need to sell my pink shotgun, and advertise for the garage sale… Work wears me down, my sinuses are congested, I’m letting down my running group because I am behind on my marathon training, and now my brother’s car troubles mean I have to cancel plans and get less sleep. Jesus I need You to help me with all of this. I’m not in control, and I can’t do it all by myself! You’ve been stressed, you’ve been overwhelmed, you’ve needed help and not had it. Jesus You know exactly how I feel, and I need You. It is SO HARD not knowing. I know You called me and You will make it all happen, but sometimes it just topples over me. I am weak, but You are strong.

It felt surreal literally pointing out, while partially sobbing, all the stuff I needed to do. I pointed to the nightmare closet. I pointed to the shelves. I invited the Lord to come over to my mess, and He showed up.

The closer I walk with Jesus, the easier life gets…. FALSE.
The closer I walk with Jesus, the more I realize that every little part of my life needs Jesus.

Preparing to be a missionary, you start to realize how much we are blessed and how bad people have it around the world. But I’m telling you, and it’s true: you should call on Jesus for everything. Don’t you dare think He doesn’t care!

Here are some FALSE STATEMENTS we get told in our culture:

 “Only pray about the big stuff. God is busy and there are a lot of people in the world that have it worse than you, so man up.”

“God is really far away. He just steps back and watches, He doesn’t really interfere with our lives anymore.”

“God is only going to listen to you if you’ve got your life together.”

TRUTH is…
We need God every second of every minute of every hour of every day.

Big or small problem, happy or sad, mundane or epic, I want to include Jesus, and Jesus wants to be included! When I make a mistake, I am instantly busted (aren’t we all) but when I pray that I’m sorry He’s listening.

I want Him to know how much I like a song on the radio, converse with Him about the colors of the sky, share with Him my worries and my struggles, and rejoice with Him over my small victories.

When I felt overwhelmed, I cried out to Jesus. And He was there, ready to give me peace. Jesus didn’t send robot maids to come clean my closet (I asked, you just never know sometimes). I try to make Him laugh 😉 He did give me peace and strength to face the day.

I challenge you to share about a meltdown.
I urge you to cry to Jesus when you cry.
Meltdowns are okay.
Admitting weakness is okay.
But also admit the strength of the Lord.
Admit that only in Him, you can stand strong.
Ask Him to help you.
Pray about any and all the trivial things that bottle up and overwhelm you.  

We serve a sympathetic, compassionate Savior, who had a hell of a lot of stress in His lifetime.
The good news: He’s still alive and listening.