Being Overwhelmed by Perception
Perception plays a big role when it comes to feeling overwhelmed. How much pressure do we put on ourselves based on what we perceive our performance should be in a given circumstance. Those nagging questions of self-doubt, increases the likelihood of anxiety. Am I enough? Am I capable? What if I fail? If I actually pull this off, what then?
The overwhelm loves to strike at the heart of the perfectionists. When people have unrealistic expectations of themselves, mentally things can become bigger than reality. Stress enjoys knocking on their doors. The pursuit of excellence can be a good thing, when it’s done for the right reason. That leads to a question: why would perfection be the goal?
Of course, if we are doing something for someone else, how we perceive that person plays a role in whether or not we feel overwhelmed. Obviously, the relationship is a factor (i.e., boss versus friend and so on). For example, if one believes his boss is a tyrant, he would tend to feel more anxiety than if he sees him as fair, or even easy-going. You get the idea. Have you ever had a wrong impression of someone? How did it affect your interaction with that person?
How we see ourselves greatly influences all these things just mentioned. Perhaps, how we see God and whether we love ourselves the way He does, has a greater impact than we realize. Those who have grown up with performance-based relationships, lean more towards perfectionism than those who experienced unconditional love. They seldom received positive feedback for anything they did, if any. In short, performance equals worth in their view.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
If Jesus came to give us peace, why do some Christians find themselves often overwhelmed? One reason is they have not entered into His rest. They haven’t granted themselves permission to be at peace. They have yet to receive His love that cannot be earned.
Do It For Him, and Stop Being Overwhelmed
Colossians 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.
Think about this: perfectionism can be a form of self-affirmation. Which in a sense, seeks glory for one’s self, instead of glorifying God. It is a form of self-imposed bondage. As long as you are more concerned about how things reflect on you, you will continue to feel the tension Jesus never intended for you to have.
Receiving His love enables you to serve freely, and to do things in true excellence. Entering into His rest means ceasing from your own works (see Hebrews 4:10). Doing all things as unto the Lord requires faith, not performance. To put it another way, in order to properly perform, one requires to do so by love and faith.
Because you are well loved by God without performance, you are free to serve out of love. When you realize it’s about relationship and not works, you will eliminate the overwhelm, because you will no longer feel the need to perfectly perform. Make it about Him and find rest.
Allow Holy Spirit to lead you in all your endeavors, and you will find abilities within you that you never knew were there. While we do labor for Him, we also labor with Him.
