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I have a confession.
I am a little shocked and a tad embarrassed to even admit it….. but …..
I’ve been running. Not as in exercise, but as in hiding. I’ve been feeling inadequate and a failure. I’ve been feeling as if I didn’t have anything to say worth saying.
There’s been no desire to sit and write a blog post. No desire to write period.
When I looked back at my planning calendar, I realized, it’s been 7+ weeks since I have written and posted a regular blog post. The Lesson’s from the Lake Vlog video posts, were pre-scheduled, and only needed a little tweaking or tweets added. That is about all I have done, and it feels strange.
It feels strange to not have been writing and sharing my thoughts for that long. I mean, I am a writer! It’s what I have always wanted to do and be, and yet, it seems this is a season to focus on it in a different way.
I know for many of you, October is a month full of writing since you have taken on the challenge and are writing every day! The idea of Writing 31 whole days and posting every single one of them is overwhelming. My hat is off to you, and I have enjoyed reading them when I can. I think it is fantastic and I admire you all so much. I know some of you will turn these 31 days into books or devotionals, and I am so excited for you. I did not even attempt the challenge this year, as I had planned to, but for good reasons.
Honestly, because I have been so overwhelmed and feeling like a failure lately, it makes it hard to write anything. However, in this season I don’t have the luxury to NOT write because I have several projects in the works and deadlines to be met.
I have been busy planning and contemplating new joint book project with my husband. I’ve been revising some other content for a publisher’s consideration. Plus, I’ve been working on a new project which involves recording tons of video teachings and adapting teaching notes into lessons. Yep, finally, my training book, “Releasing God’s Heart through Hearing His Voice,” is become an online e-course/membership site. Hopefully it will launch very soon. So stay tuned for more information in the months ahead.
Tweet ThisAll the things, I have been doing are great and exciting things, however, it hasn’t been without opposition. I often forget opposition comes when we step out in obedience to the Lord. I spent hours recording all the video training at the beginning of September, then took a fun mother/daughter vacation to Disneyland to enjoy the Tower of Terror ride before it closes. Upon returning from this fun trip, I learned all the recordings had to be redone. Ugh! I was upset, frustrated, and feelings of wanting to quit and being overwhelmed by all that was on my plate came rushing in. I kept waking up in the wee hours of the night/morning and couldn’t go back to sleep. Double Ugh!
This week I was scheduled to re-record, and it is almost laughable the opposition that came. At the location I was recording, a neighbor decided to have a few trees removed from their property, so recording was pushed back to the evening. However, they tree removal continued until around 9pm. Then the next day, they had to come back and finished, however, the neighbor on the other side also was having a tree trimmed. Needless to say, no recording has been done and I had to reschedule again. Prayers are most appreciated.
On top of all the tasks on my to do list for writing projects, new websites, teaching, travel, other stresses were added from relationships, things with my family, the church, my kids and on and on.
Yet, God has taught me some good things during this season as well.
Here are the 4 things He has been showing me during this time.
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Remember
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Release
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Refocus
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Recharge
I have to remember!
Remember that no matter what opposition comes at me that God is on my side. He is for me, He will fight the battle, and I fight from victory not for victory. I also need to remember that no matter what lies the enemy whispers in my ear, they are just that lies. Instead, I need to remember what God says is true about me.
I have to release!
Once I remember, I have to release all my worry, stress, anxiety, control, and anything else that may cause distractions and give them over to God. I need to trust God through the process and know that He is in control. I need to stand on His Word and His promises and release everything else.
I have to refocus!
Once I have remembered and released, I MUST Refocus! Refocus my eyes from the tasks and things that need to get done and the timetable I had set, to God’s timetable and the tasks He is actually asking me to accomplish.
I have to recharge!
Yes, in the middle of the busy! In the middle of stress, and feelings of being overwhelmed, I have to take time to recharge. You see, I am a doer. I will work and work all hours of the day and night. I will push myself until I can’t go anymore. When this happens, I hit a wall, I am running on empty and then all I want to do is quit, run, or hibernate. None of these things are healthy or good. So yes, I must take time to recharge and fill back up.
So what did I do? I sat down to write! Yep, because a writer writes…. A writer writes for fun, to share, to voice what they’ve been keeping inside. A writer writes to recharge.
How have you been feeling lately?
Are you writing 31 days this month? If so please comment below and share what your topic is.
PS.
I will be hosting a new link up starting soon – the 3 most popular dates (actually, they each had the same number of votes) from the survey.
They were Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, so if you haven’t had the opportunity to voice your opinion follow the link here and share your thoughts.
I am trying to determine the best day to have my new linkup on.
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. Your opinion matters and your voice counts! ???? Click o the picture to go to the survey
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My Post “Climb Every Mountain” was featured in the August monthly link-up at : Life on Intention Link-up Party
My Post: “The Journey through Change” was featured here:
I have been know to link to the following Inspirational Parties:
Sunday’s
Monday’s
What Joy is Mine/Monday Musings
Tuesday’s
Wednesday’s
Thursday’s
Friday’s:
Saturday’s:
Debbie, Wow! I am so happy I was your neighbor at 3DLessons4Life.
Not 10 minutes before coming upon your blog, I was murmuring to myself, “I’m exhausted. All I am doing is running, running, running, and I feel like I’m going nowhere. Worst of all, all this running has negatively effected my time with the Lord. I am feeling overwhelmed to say the least. Lots of life changes are about to commence next week, and I am apprehensive, which is an understatement.
Thank you so much for sharing the “4 R’s”. Oh what encouragement they brought me and have caused me to step back and “remember” so that I can move forward to Release, Refocus and Recharge.
Blessings,
Karen, so glad that God worked it out and we were neighbors! I am so glad the 4 R’s will be a help to you as you navigate the changes that are ahead this next week for you. Often taking the step back and taking a deep breath is all that is needed to help alleviate the overwhelming feelings that come rushing at us…. it’s just the thing that is needed to help us remember, refocus, release and recharge. Praying for your week ahead and that the feelings of being overwhelmed just fade away. Blessings
Good morning!God showed me a vision of us as a tree “pruning” to then bear more fruit!
That might be what he was doing along with the fact of teaching his children to move only when HE wants to move!
It’s been hard on me as well as I’m a Martha pretty much and had forgotten to balance that with the listening/prayerful “Mary”.
I started writing too but as an affiliate in marketing.When a little girl,i would love to write and writing came easier than talking to get my point across cause the written word is powerful!
Now,as i want to put this into a business/work-at-home,it makes me anxious and i do not know if i should continue as i “don’t have peace about it”.I am just overwhelmed too.
Seeing this post helps a lot to put things into perspective and i hope God will guide my talents as he guides yours too!
Have a blessed w-end and “remember” that “all things come to the good for those who are in Christ who strengthens them!”
I believe that what you said, “tasks He is actually asking me to accomplish,” is the most important thing you said. We all have things we want to do, but are they what God wants us to be doing? Adding on without asking Him is frustration in the making.
Carmen, you are so right – the things we want to do are not necessarily the things God is asking us to do, and while they might not be bad, they are distracting or keeping us from doing the God thing! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for the visit.
Words coming from the midst of a time of testing ring true.
Trusting that God will continue to “recharge” your batteries for the work that’s ahead.
Michele – I am trusting and beleiving God will do the same, and standing upon the promises in His word that says He will… The biggest challenge is me getting in the way. Thanks for your encouragement.
I’m so glad you parked next to me at Holly’s place. Overwhelmed, overcome it.
Pretty straight-forward – my kind of talk!
I saw that we are parked next to each other at Holly’s 🙂 yay – it’s been a while since that has happened… and I am working on my straight talk :0 lol blessings
I related to this so much – I usually try to schedule my content quite far in advance, then real life will catch up and I’ll find myself needing to write for *now*. Sometimes I find it helps as I feel more connected to what I’m actually writing, somehow.
Thanks so much for sharing over at Friday Frivolity. 🙂
Jess, it makes me feel better to know that I am not the only one that has life get busy and not able to stay up and schedule out content…. I completely agree that when I write for now, that I feel connected. Thanks for visiting today 🙂
Thank you for sitting down and writing this — I needed it. I am exactly in that spot, with so much to write, even on my calendar to write, and no words coming. I feel like I’m fighting them, actually. Which is why I loved this statement: “I fight from victory not for victory.” And I am SO sorry you have to re-record your sessions! I hope you had a great vacation with your daughter!
Wendy, thank you so much – I was so upset and frustrated, but the re-recording has begun and although it has had it’s challenges, we are making forward progress! Yay… Oh, and I so feel ya.. so many things to write, so many thoughts and great ideas and then – nothing – no words flowing onto the blank screen or even empty page .. and then, all of the sudden inspiration will hit and God will drop something in my heart, just in time for the deadline… or other times, nothing comes and all and I have to learn its ok to not have something every week to post… its ok to recharge and rest sometimes…. I had a wonderful vacation with my daughter, thank you for asking. I am praying for you and that inspiration will be dropped into your heart today.. becasue, we fight and write from victory!!!!
I can certainly relate, Debbie. I switched from Blogger to WordPress last month, and the site migration has been such a big headache. During the migration, most of my photos didn’t transfer properly or at all. And that’s from over 10 years’ worth of posts! Plus, all my links within each post are broken, and the list goes on and on. I cried for the first week because I felt so completely overwhelmed. I saw no end in sight. But, I kind of did what you wrote about: those 4 “r” words. 🙂 It may take a year to get my blog all fixed up, but that’s OK. Life goes on whether my blog is perfect or not. Thanks for linking up with Literacy Musing Mondays.
Oh NO Brandi that sounds terrible… 10 years worth of posts and pictures and most of them not working .. I so would have cried too, but yes, once the overwhelming feelings pass then we realize that it will all be ok even if takes a little longer to fix it or work it out. I have had to lay down my timelines and my ideas of what I thought my blog should be or do and just breathe deeply and hand it over to God. I am so glad you stopped by to say Hi thanks 🙂
Ehh, Debbie I have totally been here for about a month. With Matt getting injured he was off for a month and we were completely out of routine. I even had some things “publish” that weren’t supposed to and there’s some things scheduled I have to switch. Life happens and I am learning to receive Grace in this season. I think it is neat that God takes our dark hard days and can use them to shine His light, as you have done here by sharing this with us. It helps to know we aren’t alone and I can see many of us needed to hear this! Thanks so much for linking up. I am excited to find out updates on the new project!
Oh Meg, I am so sorry that you’ve been overwhelmed for a while and I am praying Matt is on the road to recover. I will pray for his complete healing and that he and you will be able to return the normal routine and flow of life. You are so right, life does happen and we need to have and extend grace in the season. Thanks for always providing a place for me to link to on Tuesday, and yes, more details will be coming soon 🙂 I am excited about it.
Prayers for you! I know how this feels. I am in a bit of a busy season too, I decided to do too much at once, and then the opposition came. Most of the month has been spent in bed, sick, I needed to recharge as my disease was rearing it’s ugly head. I had to let go and know that there was a plan and other things would have to wait.
Seriously how many trees need trimmed in one neighborhood! Just know that your journey is important enough to have all kinds of things thrown in your way. How cool is that?
Oh no Nikki! I am so sorry to hear that your month has been mostly spent in bed – it seemed like just last week you were getting up early and returning late from all your fun adventures with helping others… I am praying for you and for the disease to calm back down. Sometimes, letting go is exactly what is needed, but it is also the hardest thing to do at times as well.
Yes, I suppose it is cool in a way that the journey is important enough to have distractions and oppositions thrown my way – such a good way of looking at it, isn’t it? LOL –I guess you could say your journey is equally as important, because of the the things thrown your way too. I guess we are in good company together as we walk toward the plans God has for us and we shall overcome!