Overwhelmed
Overwhelmed. If I could choose one word to describe my life and my emotions the last few weeks, it would probably be overwhelmed....but I don't necessarily mean overwhelmed in a bad way. Yes, I have been overwhelmed by work and support raising and trying to balance a million and one odd things, but I have also been overwhelmed by God's grace and the outpouring of love and support that so many people have shown me. So, in this blog post I want to take some time to reflect on a few of those overwhelming-in-a-good-way moments.
Numero uno. Last Sunday at church I had a TEAM booth out in the lobby and I also had an open house after the second service. Shortly after the first service ended, a group of about 5 or 6 women from the prayer team came up to me at my booth. At first I was slightly nervous because I didn't know some of them, and they all approached me at the same time. But then I found out that they had all been praying for me and they had made me a beautiful prayer shawl! In that moment I was so overwhelmed by their love and their thoughtfulness. It was such a blessing and an encouragement for me to know that people in my church are praying for me and thinking about me, even if I'm not always aware of it.
Numero dos. A few weeks ago I was feeling really frustrated about the fact that I didn't have anyone with whom I could practice my Spanish on a regular basis. So I prayed about it and asked the Lord to give me some language buddies so that I could be speaking in Spanish more often. I slowly built up the courage to begin talking to a few of my Spanish-speaking coworkers, and I now have fairly regular Spanish conversations with a few of them. As more of my coworkers have found out that I'm bilingual, they are always shocked/impressed that I can speak and understand Spanish as well as I do (yes, this gringa is actually "fluent" and knows more than beginner textbook Spanish).
And then an awesome moment happened yesterday when my manager came up to me and told me that he was in need of my "unique skills" (aka speaking Spanish) to help out a member. It was such an awesome opportunity for me because I was able to help a women sign her two daughters up for swim lessons and help her schedule a time for their lessons--all in Spanish! I also had the chance to talk to her for a few minutes and learn more about her and her family. As this event was unfolding amidst the chaos and craziness of swim lessons and open swim time, I was so overwhelmed by how the Lord had blessed me with this opportunity to use my Spanish skills to assist someone while I was working. I love how God uses my language skills to connect me with others in very unexpected ways.
Numero tres. Last week was a pretty crazy week for me as I was working a lot of hours at Life Time (I work in the café and I also lifeguard at the pool) and also trying to prepare for my fundraising open house. Basically all I did last week was eat, sleep, work, and prepare my PowerPoint presentation. Then, on Friday, I finally had a few free hours before my lifeguarding shift when I could go buy all of the ingredients that I needed for making Spanish tapas for my open house. After I got off work on Saturday, I headed over to the Novitzki's house to make the tapas because our kitchen is currently being renovated. All day Saturday I had been super nervous and stressed about all of the cooking that needed to be done. But, of course, God had all of that under control.
I ended up having an awesome time hanging out with Sonja and the rest of the Novitzkis, and Mrs. Novitzki's superb cooking skills came in handy. After we made the food we spent some time eating pizza and playing games and it was so great to be able to relax and hang out with them for a while. I was very overwhelmed by how God managed to give me rest in the midst of all of my business and stress. He knew exactly what I needed and he provided me with the right people and the right place to get my work done while also feeling rested. And it was so awesome to spend with the Novitzkis and have them be a part of my ministry in this unique way.
So, these are just three examples of how I have felt overwhelmed (in a good way) these past few weeks. I challenge you to also look for ways in which the Lord is working in your own life to overwhelm you with His love and His blessings. He knows each and every one of our needs and he can meet these needs in very surprising and overwhelming ways.
Numero uno. Last Sunday at church I had a TEAM booth out in the lobby and I also had an open house after the second service. Shortly after the first service ended, a group of about 5 or 6 women from the prayer team came up to me at my booth. At first I was slightly nervous because I didn't know some of them, and they all approached me at the same time. But then I found out that they had all been praying for me and they had made me a beautiful prayer shawl! In that moment I was so overwhelmed by their love and their thoughtfulness. It was such a blessing and an encouragement for me to know that people in my church are praying for me and thinking about me, even if I'm not always aware of it.
Numero dos. A few weeks ago I was feeling really frustrated about the fact that I didn't have anyone with whom I could practice my Spanish on a regular basis. So I prayed about it and asked the Lord to give me some language buddies so that I could be speaking in Spanish more often. I slowly built up the courage to begin talking to a few of my Spanish-speaking coworkers, and I now have fairly regular Spanish conversations with a few of them. As more of my coworkers have found out that I'm bilingual, they are always shocked/impressed that I can speak and understand Spanish as well as I do (yes, this gringa is actually "fluent" and knows more than beginner textbook Spanish).
And then an awesome moment happened yesterday when my manager came up to me and told me that he was in need of my "unique skills" (aka speaking Spanish) to help out a member. It was such an awesome opportunity for me because I was able to help a women sign her two daughters up for swim lessons and help her schedule a time for their lessons--all in Spanish! I also had the chance to talk to her for a few minutes and learn more about her and her family. As this event was unfolding amidst the chaos and craziness of swim lessons and open swim time, I was so overwhelmed by how the Lord had blessed me with this opportunity to use my Spanish skills to assist someone while I was working. I love how God uses my language skills to connect me with others in very unexpected ways.
Numero tres. Last week was a pretty crazy week for me as I was working a lot of hours at Life Time (I work in the café and I also lifeguard at the pool) and also trying to prepare for my fundraising open house. Basically all I did last week was eat, sleep, work, and prepare my PowerPoint presentation. Then, on Friday, I finally had a few free hours before my lifeguarding shift when I could go buy all of the ingredients that I needed for making Spanish tapas for my open house. After I got off work on Saturday, I headed over to the Novitzki's house to make the tapas because our kitchen is currently being renovated. All day Saturday I had been super nervous and stressed about all of the cooking that needed to be done. But, of course, God had all of that under control.
I ended up having an awesome time hanging out with Sonja and the rest of the Novitzkis, and Mrs. Novitzki's superb cooking skills came in handy. After we made the food we spent some time eating pizza and playing games and it was so great to be able to relax and hang out with them for a while. I was very overwhelmed by how God managed to give me rest in the midst of all of my business and stress. He knew exactly what I needed and he provided me with the right people and the right place to get my work done while also feeling rested. And it was so awesome to spend with the Novitzkis and have them be a part of my ministry in this unique way.
So, these are just three examples of how I have felt overwhelmed (in a good way) these past few weeks. I challenge you to also look for ways in which the Lord is working in your own life to overwhelm you with His love and His blessings. He knows each and every one of our needs and he can meet these needs in very surprising and overwhelming ways.
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