A Different Kind of Overwhelmed ~ Alexis A. Goring ~ Faithful Friday

Welcome to another Faithful Friday, devotional post from Alexis A. Goring, always a welcome guest here on Whispers in Purple.

That being said, I have to apologize. My computer has lost its mind and gone beyond naughty. For some odd, maddening reason, I cannot upload any images to this post. If I try, everything freezes and I have to do a force shutdown and reboot.

So, dear readers, and Alexis, this is what might be called "bare bones" "plain Jane" "no frills," "just vanilla" ... but the message is here. Enjoy what Alexis has to share from her heart.

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A Different Kind of Overwhelmed

A devotional by Alexis A. Goring

“Have you ever felt overwhelmed and all-consumed with love for someone? Maybe a spouse or a child? God wants you to be overwhelmed with His love for you.” –Pastor Rick of K-LOVE

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition for the word “overwhelmed” that we’re going to focus on for this devotional is that it means to “to cover over completely.”

Have you ever felt covered over completely by life’s problems, trials, and tribulations? Have you ever felt like you were sinking deep into a metaphorical ocean and almost drowning beneath the weight of it all?

If you answered, “Yes” to either of those questions then today’s devotional is for you!

I want to put a positive spin on the definition of overwhelmed today. I want to teach you about a different kind of “overwhelmed.” The kind where you are covered completely by God’s Love.

Lately, I’ve been feeling overwhelmed by the worries of this world and personal issues in my own life. However, after reading this blog post by Pastor Rick on K-LOVE, I realized that God wants me to experience a different kind of overwhelming—the kind where I feel completely covered by His love for me! This truth put everything in perspective for me.

Why?

Because I realized that when I take time to meditate on God’s Word (The Holy Bible), it causes me to remember how much He loves me which then causes my problems and the worries of this world start to slowly but surely fade away. As the worries fade, God’s Goodness, Grace, Love, Mercy, and Majesty flood in, making me acutely aware of who He is (Lord over ALL, according to Psalm 97:9) and showing me that He wants to help me survive the trials of life. When this happens, no longer do I worry about the troubles of today or have anxiety about tomorrow because I know that God is in control.

It’s in those moments that God’s Love overwhelms me. It’s a beautiful place to be, wrapped in the center of love from the heart of the Sovereign King who created me, you, our planet Earth, and the entire universe!

When you spend time meditating on God’s Word (The Holy Bible) and applying His Truth to your everyday life, it’s hard to not feel the sheer magnitude of how good God is and it’s hard to not experience the steadfast, fierce, grace-filled, forever love that He has for you!

And when you’re in those moments, completely basking in God’s love, you realize that this is a different kind of overwhelmed…a very good one that produces the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7) and gives you hope for tomorrow.

There is joy found in God’s presence! There is peace, hope and happiness!

God won’t force you to experience His Love because He gives us all the free will to choose Him or deny Him. The Bible says in Revelation 3:20 that He stands at the door and knocks, waiting for us to invite Him in. However, He is patient with us because He wants us all to experience His Love and be saved in His Kingdom that is not of this world.  

When you allow yourself to experience the overwhelming love of God, it transforms you from the inside out! After that experience, it’s almost impossible for you to not love others after you see how much God loves you! His Love for you creates hope in your heart that whatever you’re worried about will be resolved in His perfect time and it also creates deep empathy for everyone else created by God.

Part of experiencing this “different kind of overwhelmed” is not being able to put your experience with God into words. I think I tried my best in this devotional but in closing, I’d like to share a song by Jasmine Murray that really drives my point home. The song is called “Into Words” and you can listen to it here.

It is impossible for me to put God “into words” because He is beyond words! His goodness is forever, just like His love for humankind withstands the test of time. He loves you with ALL of His Heart and wants you to choose Him.

It’s overwhelming but in a very good way!

Alexis A. Goring is a passionate writer with a degree in Print Journalism and an MFA in Creative Writing. She loves the art of storytelling and hopes that her stories will connect readers with the enduring, forever love of Jesus Christ.