More Than We Hope For

Sometimes, when it rains, it pours. Don’t you agree?

I’m not sure about you, but there are moments wherein I can’t help but feel overwhelmed by different events that occur in life. You know, seasons when everything just happens all at the same time.

Responsibilities, may it be anticipated or not, can make us feel like we’re being caught up in the flood. Slowly and consistently rising up from our feet, to our knees, until we reach a point wherein we can already anticipate it submerging our bodies deeply. Paralyzed by the shock, we are unable to get out, until panic overtakes us as our breath is being taken away.

When this happens, it is a somewhat automatic response to call for help. As the saying goes, “no man is an island” right? Thus, we try to reach out, hoping that someone would grab our hand and lift us up. And when we slowly gain our breath, as our senses return, we look at the person (or people) who took the time to help.

Now, this may be a metaphorical way of expressing things, but I really think the description really fits.

Juggling the demands of work, school, family, friends, and other errands can sometimes make us feel like we’re at the brink of overloading. I don’t know about you, but when I experience this, I feel and notice too much of things that it’s challenging to be calm and collected.

“Which one do you do first?”, “How would you do it?” “Is there enough time?”

Ideas and worries dominate my mind and I would have trouble tuning it out. These are the moments when I become so tempted to shout my lungs out. Other times, it would seem as though isolation would make things pause (and ideally and magically make things better) but it only ends up making me even more anxious. After all, you become alone with your thoughts… the same thoughts that paralyze you. Then you realize that you just can’t do it alone.

When situations like these happen to me, I become aware of those people who notice. You know, those people… it may be your family member, a friend, a workmate or anyone who takes the time to really look past the “I’m fine” and “I’m good.” Think about it, do you have such people in your life right now? If you do, congratulations! They are like extravagant gifts that the heavens graciously gave us.

I’m very blessed to be able to have such people in the midst because they serve as a lighthouse in the dark. Such moments may be so challenging to the point that it seems so easy to just give up. Believe me, I know the feeling of being in the brink of throwing the towel in the arena because you feel like you had enough already. At the same time, I also know how it feels to have people that remind me that I don’t necessarily have to do everything alone. Such moments can be so reassuring beyond words.

 If you have a person (or persons) who can be there and take time to really notice how you’re really doing, be thankful. Not everyone is willing to take the time to really look beyond the surface. That’s why, if you have such people in your life, honor them. Tell them how much it means to you that they are there. It is the simplest gestures in the unexpected moments that take up the most space in our hearts. Sounds cheesy, but it’s true. Thank God for these people!