overwhelmed

There is sadness all around me right now.  Does this happen to you?  It's like things just keep happening to people that I love. 

I've been praying for a sweet friend of mine who is suffering from something so bad that I can't even talk to her.  Her mom has communicated with me a couple times, but I have no idea what's going on with them...all I can do is pray.  And I don't even know what to pray...but the good thing is that God knows.

My best friend's sister and niece were in a horrible accident Sunday night...so bad that she was thinking she just needed to take off and go there to help out.  Things have improved somewhat, and I'm praying they'll continue to improve before the weekend.  Both her sister and her niece are okay, her sister not quite as good, but will be fine in the days ahead.  It might take a while to get there.

I just found out that a beloved art teacher from the boys' old elementary school died yesterday.  She was an amazing woman who impacted many, many lives.  She leaves behind a husband and two kids, both of whom are in their mid to late twenties.  She wasn't very old, either...early to mid fifties, maybe?  She was diagnosed with an incurable cancer three or four years ago, and she was told she had maybe five years left.  She was gone from the school most of this school year, but it seems like things progressed quickly and sometime yesterday she met her Savior face to face. 

I could keep going with my list of things to pray for, but you get my drift.  What happens on days when I feel overwhelmed at the sense of sadness and loss all around me?  When I feel like I'm floundering about in my own personal life, while searching for a new church in the process?  And while I'm talking about change, I can't help but wonder, how much more change can my kids take?

What happens is this: I turn to God.  I write out pages and pages of needs in my journal, and I give them to God.  I open up His word.  I pray that He will show me a new verse, or I will turn to a book that has helped me when I've felt like this before~Deuteronomy, or Isaiah or the book of Psalm. 

Sometimes I do play "Bible Roulette" and open to a page that is all marked up.  (The pastor we heard at Highpoint on Sunday said that phrase, and we all cracked up...because who HASN'T done that?!)  I write out the verses that might be of help...to the people experiencing pain or loss, or something that might encourage me, or something that I can post on Facebook to be an encouragement to others. 

That's what I do in times when I'm overwhelmed with the needs of those around me.  It works for me...and I can take comfort from God's word.  Sometimes I pray His word to Him, because I don't know what else to pray.  There are times when I've read the Lord's prayer as my prayer to Him, because at that time, my words are few.

How do you handle moments like this?  It's hard to keep it all in perspective, and to not get weighed down by the circumstances around me.  I'd love to hear how you handle these moments, because I know I'm not the only one who experiences this burden for others.  Will you take the time and share?  Maybe I could use some encouragement.  ;)

Thanks for reading.  Love to all.