To the tired and overwhelmed...

This is stolen from another blog. It is the daughter of a woman at our church who is married to a quadriplegic. We all just came back from our women's retreat and this devotion that she wrote applied to us. Her mom shared it with us and I am sharing it with you!

TO ANYONE WHO'S EVER BEEN TIRED OR OVERWHELMED
I read a story in my bible the other day that I can't seem to get out of my head. It's one that I've heard a thousand times over the years, but it is an encouragement to me today more than it ever has been before. The part I read was in the New Testament, Mark 6: 30-44. To sum up, this is what's happening......

Jesus had 12 men that he hung out with, the disciples. He had sent them out to different areas to help others and they returned to him and told him everything that they had done on their journeys.

"And He (Jesus) said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.".....for they had no time to even eat (because they were helping so many people)."

So they get in a boat to get away from people and "recharge" but crowds of people followed them and found them, 5000 people in total. Jesus felt sorry for the people so He started to teach them.....which meant more work for Him and for the disciples who were already exhausted and hungry. After a while the crowds of people were getting hungry and the disciples told Jesus they had nothing to feed them. He asked them to bring Him WHAT THEY HAD, which was 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Jesus looked to heaven and said a blessing and then divided the food to each of the disciples in order to hand it out to the people

"And they all ate and were satisfied."

After everyone ate the disciples picked up 12 baskets full of leftover pieces.

So here is what that says to me as I think about my role as wife of a man who is quadriplegic with intense chronic pain and recurrent infections and a mommy of twins........

If I do what Jesus suggests then my first step would be to
"come away by myself to a desolate place and rest a while"
If that is not possible, as sometimes it is not and the people who I love need me to physically and emotionally be present to comfort them, then my next step would be to
"bring Jesus what I have"
to bring Him whatever energy, ideas, creativity, patience, compassion, love, kindness, and strength that I have (as little or great as that is).....and THEN wait and watch for HIM to bless it and to divided it out to those in need as well as to myself as He sees fit. If He does what He did in this story, I will be satisfied as well as my family.....HE'LL MEET ALL OF OUR NEEDS.

It's another encouragement to me to NOT try to do everything myself, but to give any ability that I have (mental, physical, emotional, or spiritual) to Jesus and ALLOW HIM to be the one to use the LITTLE that I have to provide far more abundantly than I can ask or imagine.

Oh Lord I just ask that you provide for everyone of us who are at times overwhelmed with the load on our plates - the schedules, the committments, the babies, the husbands, the wives, the bills/finances, the work/jobs. We have such a miniscule ability on our own to handle the situations and circumstances in our lives....but You have ABUNDANT, MIGHTY POWER as our Creator....You speak and the world is created.....please care for us as you did the thousands of people who came to hear you on that infamous day that we read about today. In Jesus' Name
AMEN

http://suzieskinner.blogspot.com/2011/03/to-caregivers-among-uscaring-for-others.html