Do you remember the lessons on superlatives?. Those are the words that name increments of something until it comes to the adjective that is usually ends in “-est”. Big, bigger, biggest. Loud, louder, loudest. Some, many, all.

There are not “three easy steps to kick overwhelm,” and I don’t pretend to have that here. But I do have my story, which includes three words that became immensely important to me as I slowly stepped out of the mire and into “the wide open spaces of God’s grace.”

I thought I was exceptional–in the wrong way

For years my mentality was that some people could do the things I wanted to do, or hoped to do, or even–once upon a time–used to do.

But I could not.

Sure, some people reach out to their neighbors, but we have sketchy neighbors. Other people give generously, but we can’t afford to. He can encourage others, but I have nothing to offer. She gets up early, but I have babies who wake at night. They make a home-based business work, but I don’t have support. I’ve even heard that some people can get places on time, but my kids…. you get the picture.

I had a problem for every solution. Maybe it could work for anyone else, in theory, but I was an exception. My feelings are too deep. This family is too difficult. The chains are too strong.

I couldn’t see it for years but what I was really saying was, ‘My situation is too difficult for the God of the universe to handle.’

All

Have you ever paid attention to the superlatives of “all” and “every” in the Bible? There are an awful lot of them. Let’s just look at the first mention of the good news announced in the New Testament:

 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2:10-11 NKJV emphasis mine

There are so many more examples, but the truth is, if we belong to Jesus, the good news that he has come to save and rescue and deliver applies to us–the ones whom he has saved, rescued, and delivered.

All of Jesus’ story is for all of us. The “good tidings of great joy,” that is, the gospel, is not only an angel announcing Jesus’ birth in a stable, but the good news that Jesus had come to rescue us and “to destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)

If Jesus’ life and death and resurrection can give hope to one, the same power can help all who call on him. You are not the exception.

Everything

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

2 Peter 1:2-3 NASB (emphasis mine)

If his power has given us everything we need to live a godly life, that means there is no external thing necessary to obey him.

A lot of my hang-ups were that I felt I couldn’t obey him. There was always an obstacle to obedience. I couldn’t keep my mouth shut; I couldn’t serve my family well; I could barely love my husband; I couldn’t pray the way I needed to. There were so many things I knew I ought to be doing in obedience, but felt incapable.

It takes baby steps in faith.

If God has given everything I need, I can acknowledge what I lack, ask Him to help me, and then start moving in the direction that says I believe Him.

If he gives me everything to obey him, he will give me-
Energy to take my kids to the store.
Patience to put my kids to bed one more time tonight.
Courage to invite a friend into my house for coffee.
Love to help my husband.
Creativity to make dinner out of what is in the pantry.
Ten minutes to read a chapter.
Words to pray for a need.
Wisdom to schedule the day.

As parents, we want to be life-givers, and as followers of Jesus, that’s what he has said is possible. Oh, to be a fountain gushing forth streams of life!

Always

Jesus said he would always be with us. He sent the Holy Spirit who can always be with us and lead us in truth. But the “always” that changed my heart attitude is the one that says,

But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 NIV

We are in Him. And He is always triumphant.

This may be elementary logic, but if we are always in Him and He is always the victor, then we are also always victors with Him. This doesn’t mean we’re never going to experience a loss or feel defeated. But we can always demonstrate the victory of Jesus.

How in the world does this apply to life when we’re dealing with deadlines, sick kids, broken appliances, overdue bills, strained relationships, grief, injustice, and other real world problems?

I’m not going to say that “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” That’s not biblical. However, the truth is God intimately knows what you are facing, and He will walk through it with you.

The victory was won at the cross

The cross’s victory includes forgiveness, reconciliation, hope, life, and love. The catch is that often laying down one’s life in forgiveness, reconciliation, and love can feel a lot like crucifixion.

The Holy Spirit graciously showed me where I had not allowed the cross to put to death my selfish ways, preferences, resentment, and a thousand other things. I had tried to keep myself in tact, preserving my idea of how life ought to go (my way, of course), without allowing room for the life of Jesus to bring victorious resurrection life express itself in my daily life.

This usually feels like humbling yourself. It feels a lot like turning the other cheek, going another mile, giving a glass of cold water instead of a piece of your mind. But in getting humble, and acknowledging our place in relation to His place–because of His obedience, death, and resurrection unto authority and lordship–the kingdom of heaven enters into our little actions. And in the laying down our lives, and allowing Him to raise us up again, we participate in His victory.

When I applied this principle to my everyday life, I found that when everything was seeming to go wrong, there were a thousand annoyances, and bigger problems looming in the background, I could change the way I viewed them. I had to trust one thing: Even in the midst of chaos, destruction, and life’s general messiness, “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

The victory is partially that we will never be separated from His love. He is always with us. Nothing that beats us down–neither death nor life–will keep us from Him and His love.

There will always be hard things. We will have troubles. But be encouraged–He has overcome the world, and we are on His team. He is on your team. He does not want us to live burdened and overwhelmed. He calls us to give Him our burdens, the weariness, our cares, and to rest in Him. Why would He do that? Because He cares for us.