Whelmed by God

I know that I am not alone in occasionally feeling overwhelmed by life situations. While in truth I know that God’s law is the only law, it sometimes seems that Murphy’s Law, “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong,” is active and playing out in my life.

The feeling of overwhelm is often accompanied by stress and even fear. I have observed that when I experience situations that elicit these feelings, I habitually react in one of two ways; I either struggle with the situation (my preferred reaction) or I give up. I struggle by giving a great deal of time and attention to trying my best to “solve the problem” or “fix it.” In the past, I have given up by escaping from, or at least attempting to escape from, the situation. I give up by quitting a job, and ending relationships, both personal and professional. For many of us, other means for attempting to escape may include the use of alcohol, drugs, shopping or any number of mechanisms that serve to divert our attention from the issue at hand. All of these reactions are based in fear. We in Unity know that we create our reality by the activity of our thinking and feeling, it follows then that fearful actions can only result in experiences that reflect our fear.

There is another option. Rather than reacting from fear by struggling against or giving up, we can choose instead to respond from love. We begin by withdrawing our attention from the external experience. I find that it helps to close my eyes and breathe into the heart. When I focus my awareness in the heart, I am able to consciously connect with the God of my being. In this way, I can release attachment to the condition and surrender to God, eternal wisdom, light and love.

As we gather awareness in the heart, we are able to be still and know that God is all; God is the fulfillment of every desire in the moment. When we know that every need is met, we cannot help but experience feelings of peace and joy. There is nothing to struggle against and nothing to give up; there is only God. In this state of being, we know, and we know that we know, what is needed in any situation.

There is no need to wait until we feel overwhelmed; instead, at the first sign of emotional discomfort we can choose to take a conscious breath with the clear intention of refocusing from the external to the internal in order that we might connect with Presence in the present moment and experience the peace of God. Then, we listen for the still small voice that is constantly and consistently guiding us to our highest and best good.

Instead of feeling “over-whelmed,” we can choose instead to simply be whelmed, which Merriam-Webster defines as “overcome in thought or feeling.”  May we forever be whelmed by the realization that God is; I am.