Here I am again, at the corner of Overwhelmed and Totally Confused. How many of you have ever been here? On one corner sits the tower of your family obligations, right across the street from your mammoth career commitments. On the other corners, your goals and your dreams sit in the shadow of family and career.

This is a tough place to be. I expect that I’ll end up here (again and again). It’s easy to have so many people and things vying for your attention. I find myself wanting to be everything to everyone, but I know that can never happen. Still…here I am, again.

What really bothers me about Overwhelmed and Totally Confused is how often I end up here without my map. I imagine some of you just perked right up – There’s a MAP?! Why didn’t anyone tell me?? Probably because it’s not really a map…more like a guidebook.

Have you figured it out yet?

Yep. That’s it, up in the corner – the Bible.

There’s nothing wrong with having a lot of options in life. God gave us families, he created us to work, and he gives us desires. So if all of these things are God-given, why can life get so crazy? Because we haven’t pulled out the guidebook.

There will never be a shortage of worthwhile causes and events in life. Thousands of people are doing good deeds every day, and there are dozens of projects to which I’d like to contribute and/or volunteer. There’s also my husband to love, dinners to cook, and writing to finish. so how do I know what to do?

God-time.

It would be so easy to run after everything. Without God’s guidance I could end up pursuing the wrong career path, investing my time in the wrong event, and wearing myself out. Not only would that spread me thin, but if I’m in the wrong place, that means someone who’s supposed to be there can’t be (because I’m taking up space).

And even though I know this, even though I’ve been at this corner before, I forget. I end up stressed and tired. Sometimes I make myself sick. I spend hours at home but accomplish nothing because I just can’t figured out where to start. Then, when I’m frustrated enough (and not meeting my goals), I set it aside and go to God first…finally.

QUESTION: Are you letting yourself get overwhelmed? Remember – God’s burden is easy and his yoke is light. If you aren’t feeling this way, what can you do to change that?