Underwhelmed

The January blues, the thick of raising kids, responsibilities, service, church, education, work, food....

All areas of my life that I have a habit of feeling underwhelmed in. Ever been there...You start out...excited...anticipating and then something happens. I remember my first day of college...so excited. I had new clothes, new books, I was out on my own living in a dorm, I had $1000 in the bank that I had saved and the world was my canvas. I remember our first ever church job. The excitement of planning youth activities and getting to know the members. I remember household remodels that started out soooo fun....new paint, new moldings, new looks.

And then the mundane ordinary regular old days set in. The tests come, the youth work gets hard, the remodel costs more than expected. And instead of feeling excited and happy and energized. You feel tired and underwhelmed by the project or circumstance. It lacks the sparkle, the shine, the magazine look.

But let me tell you something. Life happens on the ordinary days. Beautiful life happens in the thick of the remodel. Projects come to life with hard work and determination. Babies become children and then become adults smack dab in the middle of dirty diapers and crazy schedules and messy buns and driver's ed. Life isn't all mountain top experiences. If we lose the days spent in the valleys or on the climb we've lost much. I've got to pay attention to God's hand everyday..not just the days that are wonderful, overwhelming beautiful and perfectly put together. I need to watch Him work on test days, and bad weather days and construction days and diaper days.

He's up to something. He's looking down on the landscaping of our lives. He sees the bigger picture. He knows where the next mountain is. And in the underwhelmed and ordinary steps of life, we can trust His skills. His navigation is perfection. I don't need to give up or give in.

Psalm 139:7-10 says,
Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.

If you're a child of God...pretty much this means you cannot get rid of Him. His spirit is with us in every situation, good or bad. In the overwhelmed and the underwhelmed and every tiny place in-between. It's too much to even take in..kind of overwhelming, huh?

Maybe you've heard this song... It's become one of my favorites lately.