This morning’s devotional is offered by Rob Blackwell. 

This past week, you heard a sermon from Chris on how God prepares us; and up next (spoiler alert), Chris will be preaching on how God overwhelms us.  I thought about how those two could be combined and saw a lot of overlap into my own life: God prepares us to be overwhelmed. I am living that life right now of both preparation and feeling totally overwhelmed.

I was fortunate enough to get engaged 6 weeks ago with the goal of getting married next April. And as you are reading this, I will hopefully be closing on a house next week. Never did I think I would be juggling termite inspections at noon followed up by picking out a florist at 4.  Simply put, I have experienced a lot of preparation and a lot of overwhelming in what is already a busy season. However, in the midst of it all, I know God is with me. And I take great comfort in that; finding a peace that is crucial during those exhausted moments.

Reflecting on the Christmas story, I have thought a lot about how Mary and Joseph were in a similar situation; both prepared and overwhelmed as they waited on Jesus to enter into the world.  They had done everything they needed to, but when the time came, there wasn’t a place for them to stay. Preparation gave way to a feeling of being totally overwhelmed. And yet, God was with them and saw them through and we know how the story goes from there! My hope is that in the midst of this time of year, when it seems like the list of things to do will never end, and everyone has so much going on, that you remember you are not alone, and God is with you throughout!