Overwhelmed. Consumed. Imbalanced.

Life is so teeter-tottery sometimes. (Teeter-tottery -- it's a new Tracy-ism... just go with it.)

Today, as I thought about all the things I have coming up on my calendar for the next couple of weeks, I felt an overwhelming sense of... overwhelmed. We humans are just so busy! Especially in the summer, when it feels like there are so many parties and picnics and graduations and carnivals and barbecues and birthdays...

Sometimes we even have to say "NO" to doing things that are good.

Celebrate a friend's graduation? Good.

Arrange a birthday sleepover/waterpark party for your daughter? Good.

Get your family photos taken by a lovely friend who's offered to do them for FREE?! Good.

Take your kiddos out to watch fireworks for the 4th of July? Good.

Do the dishes and the laundry? Good. (Not exactly fun, but definitely NOT good when it doesn't get done, right?)

Find time to drive over to Grandma's new place and spend some time with her. Good.

When it comes to things that I know are good, my heart wants to do them ALL!

But when it comes to doing too many things, I can get sucked into a vortex of frustration. Usually at myself, for never saying, "No."

So, I was praying about it this morning.

Jesus, help me get through this crazy next couple of weeks with grace and patience. Help me to stay connected to YOU, first and foremost. Keep me grounded, and help me to remember I'm not a martyr. Help me choose well which things You want me to spend time and effort on....

You get the idea.

Then... IT HIT ME.

My life is so consumed with good things, that I don't always have time for them all.

Did you catch that?

MY LIFE is CONSUMED with GOOD THINGS.

I AM SO BLESSED!

My mindset shifted this morning when I was praying that prayer. God's cool like that. He helps us see what we can't see on our own. He took my temptation to be whiny about this crazy season of life and change it into gratitude for all He is doing in my life.

Instead of feeling down about how much I have going on, all I wanted to do was thank Him for all these blessings!

God gave me a beautiful family and healthy, smart, amazing kids. They have great friends and busy social lives, and that's a good thing!

God surrounded me with incredible friends who have become like family. Many of them love Jesus and are doing their part to bring His hope and light to the world, and I can support them in that. That's a good thing!

God called me into ministry and allows me to use the gifts He gave me to point people to Him every day. That's a good thing!

God rescued me from sin and made me brand new! That's a VERY good thing. Just ask someone who knew me 20 years ago. Holy. Moly. My life is so different from the path I used to be on.

The wave of gratitude and praise I felt this morning lifted my soul and gave me the strength to keep on moving forward in this awesome life I've been given.

My life is overwhelmingly GOOD because my GOD is overwhelmingly GOOD.

I feel like these verses perfectly sum up the change in thinking I had today. I hope they are a blessing to someone else!

Psalm 40:2-3 He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.