How I Endured Feeling Overwhelmed in One Easy Lesson
I share a story and journal entry about how I felt shortly after my son was diagnosed with autism, and what one thing got me through.
Updates On The Podcast
But first, big news: On January 23, 2021, we hit the beginning of the third year of my podcast, Stories of Hope in Hard Times. Thank you for supporting me in this. Cool statistics about my podcast:
Most of my listeners are in the United States
India just passed Canada for the #2 in listeners to my podcast.
It has been listened to in 57 countries including China, Nigeria, Bangladesh, and New Zealand.
I have launched 82 episodes
I’ve had a 300% increase in listeners during 2020. Thank you for making this possible!
New change for this year of podcasting: I will be posting videos of each episode on YouTube!
Feeling Overwhelmed?
Hard times? I know how you feel. In May 2003 I wrote a journal entry which tells the story of how broken and worn out I felt shortly after Nathan was diagnosed with autism.
I was singing in an octet on a Sunday at church and felt some of the words resonate through my exhausted soul:
Lord, I Would Follow Thee by Susan Evans McCloud
In the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that the eye can’t see…
To the wounded and the weary, I would show a gentle heart….
Find in thee my strength, my beacon...
When I felt exhausted I knew I could turn to Jesus Christ to lift me and help me.
Tad R. Callister wrote in his book, The Infinite Atonement, about Jesus Christ’s amazing power to help us when we feel broken and need healing. I love this quote because it draws from powerful Bible verses to speak of Christ’s ability understand and succor us when we feel overwhelmed.
“One of the blessings of the Atonement is that we can receive of the Savior’s succoring powers. Isaiah spoke repeatedly of the Lord’s healing, calming influence. He testified that the Savior was ‘a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat’ (Isaiah 25:4). As to those who sorrow, Isaiah declared that the Savior possessed the power to ‘comfort all that mourn’ (Isaiah 61:2), and ‘wipe away tears from off all faces’ (Isaiah 25:8; see also Revelation 7:17); ‘revive the spirit of the humble’ (Isaiah 57:15); and ‘bind up the brokenhearted’ (Isaiah 61:1; see also Luke 4:18; Psalm 147:3). So expansive was his succoring power that he could exchange ‘beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness’ (Isaiah 61:3).
“Oh, what hope soars in those promises! … His spirit heals; it refines; it comforts; it breathes new life into hopeless hearts. It has the power to transform all that is ugly and vicious and worthless in life to something of supreme and glorious splendor. He has the power to convert the ashes of mortality to the beauties of eternity.”
You can watch the YouTube Video of today’s episode here: https://youtu.be/S6qvR0ITowI
#tamarakanderson #storiesofhopeinhardtimes #podcast #hope #God #help #lessons #hardtimes #autism #exhausted #broken #overwhelmed
Transcript of today’s episode
0:02
Have you ever felt so overwhelmed that you just feel you can't go on another moment? I know I have. Today, we're going to talk a little bit about that. And I'm also going to share with you some fun facts about my podcast as we enter this third season. And give you some great news about this upcoming year of podcasting, stay tuned.
0:32
Welcome to Stories of Hope in Hard Times, the show that explores how people endure and even thrive in difficult times, all with God's help. I'm your host Tamara K. Anderson. Join me on a journey to find inspiring stories of hope and wisdom learned in life's hardest moments.
0:57
Hello, and welcome to another episode of Tamara's takeaways on the Stories of Hope in Hard Times podcast. I'm your host, Tamara K. Anderson. And I'm so excited to be with you today. But first, today, I'm going to celebrate a little bit with you guys, because on just this last week on Saturday, the 23rd I hit a big milestone. I am actually starting my third year of podcasting on this podcast. So thank you for being with me. And I thought I'd start off sharing some fun statistics about my podcast. First, most of my listeners are in the United States. Second, India, just past Canada for the number two amount of listeners to my podcast. Third, my podcast has been listened to in 57 countries including China, Nigeria, Bangladesh, and New Zealand. I have launched 82 episodes. This is the 83rd episode. And over the last year in 2020, I have had a 300% increase in listeners to my podcast. And I want to thank you for being one of those listeners.
2:16
So guys, 2020 was a crazy year. We're at 2021 now, and I think one of the reasons we've had an increase in listeners is people are looking for hope. They're looking, what are some stories of other people who've gone through hard times because we've all been through hard times in the last year. Some of us more than others. Some people have lost loved ones. Some people have dealt with stifling disease, not only COVID-19, perhaps cancer, or mental illness, there have been a lot of side effects because of the pandemic. People are struggling financially. People are struggling emotionally, people are struggling physically.
2:59
And so today, I'd like to take you back to a time in my life when I was struggling. And I want to let you know that if you are struggling, you're not alone. So I'm going to take you back to the year 2003. And I actually brought my journal. Yay. There it is.
3:19
And just give you a little background of where I was at this point in my life. I had three children, ages five and a half was my eldest Jordan. And he was busy, busy, busy, so busy, so full of life. He'd been in preschool. Nathan was four. He had just been diagnosed with autism, officially and I was reeling still from the diagnosis, I didn't want to believe it. I was kind of still in the denial stage of a diagnosis. He was very, very hard could not communicate with us verbally. And so a lot of his being uncomfortable or not happy was expressed through crying and tantrums and he didn't sleep well at night. So we were up for most of the night, trying to get him to bed to sleep at night and then he was up early in the morning. so exhausted.
4:18
We also had a nine month old Jacob who was also very busy. He wanted to keep up with his two older brothers. I was still nursing him, and he was crawling it just learned to crawl up the stairs, which means I had to keep a better eye on him. And he was just busy, busy, busy. And he wasn't sleeping through the night either.
4:41
So I was exhausted physically. I was chasing these kids all day. I was exhausted emotionally. And one of the few places I felt I could receive inner nourishment was going to church. And this particular journal entry comes on May 18, 2003 and it was a hard day at church. And it. Here's what I wrote. "It was a hard day at church with Nathan. He screamed and cried through most of the Sacrament meeting. (That's a big meeting where we meet together as families.) Justin and I were both moved to tears."
5:20
This is how bad it was, guys, we were trying to keep our kids quiet so people could listen to the speaker. So maybe we could get a little spiritual nourishment. And it was so hard that both of us were near tears. And we were just exhausted, we were worn out. And then I wrote, "It is so hard." Do you ever feel like that? Do you ever feel like life is so hard? Like you have given every last ounce of energy that you have to give and you don't have any other resources to draw on. And when you try to get resources, like going to church or something? Maybe you have kids or other challenges that prevent you from absorbing more inner nourishment.
6:10
I wrote, "We sang in an octet, 'Lord, I Would Follow Thee' and I had to try not to think too hard about the words so that I could stay composed during the song. What poignant words." I'd like to share with you some of the words of that song right now because I think it speaks to how we often feel when we are feeling drained and emotionally wiped out. Some of them are, "In the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that the eye can't see." Do you ever feel like that? Feel like, maybe people see the outside of you, but the inside of you is broken, and sorrowing and crying? I know I felt like that. I felt like that, then. I could barely sing the words and sing them without crying. Because I felt them. I felt that way right now.
7:09
Another phrase from the hymn was "To the wounded and the weary, I would show a gentle heart." I felt wounded and weary right then. I felt like I needed somebody to show me a gentle heart. Thank goodness, we had some brave soul manning the bench the pew while we were up singing my husband and I. But I felt wounded and weary.
7:36
Next, "Find in thee my strength, my beacon." That is pointing us towards Jesus Christ. That's who this song Lord, I would follow thee is all about that we can find in Him our strength and our beacon when we don't feel strong enough to keep going on our own.
8:01
Then I'm going to continue with my journal entry. "I feel so weak, so overwhelmed. I feel like I don't know how to approach all this" (meaning Nathan's diagnosis with autism.) I said, "I want to have hope. But I feel like my burden is heavy today." Have you ever felt that way? Like your burden is just crushing you? It's hard. It's really, really hard.
8:37
I wrote, "Why do I sorrow. I guess it's because I want my son, Nathan to be able to have a normal life: School, mission, college, friends, marriage, family. I want him to know the joys of having a happy marriage. I don't want him to be picked on at school. I wish he could communicate with us. It is very hard right now."
9:05
Sometimes we sorrow for others. Our heart is heavy, because we want things for others. And it's just not going to work out. And I felt very overwhelmed at that moment trying to imagine a future for this child, who the future I had imagined from him had just been ripped from me and lay shattered on the floor. And I couldn't piece a future together for him in my brain. And it was scary to try to imagine some future that was awful and hard-- him screaming at me the rest of my life. I didn't want to imagine a future like that. But that's what I felt I had at that point. And I felt so broken and so overwhelmed.
9:57
But the key thing that kept to me going, and that kept strengthening me was number one God. I couldn't have done it without Him. He strengthened me moment by moment, just like he did for my husband and I had that Sacrament meeting back in 2003. When we were at church, we made it. Maybe just barely we were hanging on.
10:30
Because having children with autism is hard. And every child with autism is different.
10:38
But the key to any hard time, whether it's COVID-19, cancer, autism, or any other burden that feels so heavy, you think you're just going to curl up into a ball, and wish that the whole mountain would fall on top of you make it all go away. The key at that point, is reaching out to someone who understands. Someone who gets where we've been, and can give us comfort and strength beyond our own, because we need him. And that is Jesus Christ.
11:27
There's a beautiful quote I want to share with you today. And it is from Tad Callister from his book, The Infinite Atonement. And this is about Jesus Christ's, amazing power to help us when we feel broken when we need healing. And I love this quote, because it draws from powerful Bible verses that speak of Jesus Christ's ability to understand and succor when we feel overwhelmed, just like I did at that point. Let me share this quote with you.
12:04
"One of the blessings of the atonement is that we can receive the Savior's succoring powers. Isaiah spoke repeatedly of the Lord's healing, calming influence. He testified that the Savior was 'a strength to the needy in his distress,' 'a refuge from the storm,' 'a shadow from the heat.' As to those who sorrow Isaiah declared that the Savior possess the power to 'comfort all that mourn,' and 'wipe away tears from off all faces,' 'revive the spirit of the humble' and 'bind up the brokenhearted.' So expansive was His succoring power that he could exchange 'beauty for ashes,' 'the oil of joy for mourning,' and 'the garment of praise' for the spirit of heaviness. Oh, what hope soars in these promises. His spirit heals. It refines, it comforts, it breathes new life into hopeless hearts. It has the power to transform all that is ugly and vicious and worthless in life, to something of supreme and glorious splendor. He has the power to convert the ashes of mortality to the beauties of eternity."
13:36
Isn't that beautiful? I love that quote. Because drawing from Isaiah's words, we can see so many of the characteristics of Jesus Christ to be able to help and succor and bind to comfort to change ashes, something that has been burned to a crisp to praise. And I felt this has happened in my life.
14:13
As I look back on those years where I struggled, not just for a week, not just for a month, but for over a decade with trying to survive and trying to teach my children and trying to just make it through one more minute, I felt Jesus Christ strength with me.
14:37
One of my favorite verses in the New Testament is Jesus Christ's invitation to, "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." He has that ability to give us rest when we feel heavy and burdened. Then he continues, Take my yoke upon you, for a meek and lowly in heart... For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." So his invitation is a little ironic because He invites us at a point when we feel burdened and heavy, to take one more step--a step toward Him. A step that will yoke us a yoke like a yoke of oxen that binds two oxen together.
15:31
But one of my favorite sayings is "Two people can do anything, if one of them is God." Isn't that beautiful? If you are yoked to God, even and especially in your hard times, you can be strong enough to keep going, one more moment. One more day, one more week. And the interesting thing about burdens is if you carry them long enough, with Christ's help, you become stronger. You can lean on him for strength.
16:12
So there you go, friends, that is my testimony of leaning on Jesus Christ, of placing my burdens on His back and letting Him help me. Sometimes we have to be humble enough to let Him share it and not feel so fiercely independent, that we have to do it all by ourselves. It is good to let God into our lives.
16:40
And sometimes God answers those prayers through others. He often did for me. So when you pray and ask for help, sometimes God sends peace. And sometimes God sends angels, both seen and unseen. So be sure if people come and offer help, at a point when you're struggling, to not just say, "No, I'll be fine," Which I know we're all tempted to do--allow them the opportunity to serve and learn to love you.
17:15
Because what goes around comes around. There will be times when you will feel strong and you can help someone else. And there will be times when you feel weak. And that same very same someone may come around and help you.
17:29
Alright guys, final announcement of the day, something exciting. To celebrate this new start of a new season of podcasting, I am excited to say that I am now going to be recording videos of my podcasts and sharing those on YouTube. You will still be able to listen if you just listen to audio. But I will also be making videos available for each of my podcasts. So you can now access those on YouTube. Yay.
18:01
Thanks for joining me today. I hope you felt uplifted and feel like you can turn to Jesus Christ and share your burdens with Him. I hope that as I've shared my story of my hard time back in 2003, that you could relate. Maybe not with autism, but maybe with your own struggles and burdens. And that by leaning on Christ, we can all be strengthened. Hope on my friends!
18:29
Hey, thanks so much for listening to today's show. I know that there are many of you out there that are going through a hard time and I hope you found things that have been useful today. As you listen to the podcast. If you would like to access the show notes from today's podcast, visit my website. It is storiesofhopepodcast.com. That is where you'll find favorite quotes from today's episode. And shareable memes and those are fine because you can share them with your friends on social media. You will also find the links mentioned throughout today's episode so you don't have to remember what those were. And also all the tips that were shared. Sometimes tips are shared so much throughout an episode you forget--what were those great things? So go to the shownotes storiesofhopepodcast.com to look up these fantastic resources.
19:25
You know, if someone kept coming to mind during today's episode, perhaps that means that you should share this with them. Maybe there was a story shared or a tip that they really really need to hear. So go ahead and share this episode with them. May God bless you especially if you are struggling with hope to carry on and with the strength to keep going when things get tough. Remember to walk with Christ and He will help bear that burden. Above all else, remember God loves you!
Transcribed by https://otter.ai