Is It Just Me?: Learning to Trust God in the Middle of Hurts, Doubts, and FearsSample

When We Feel Overwhelmed and Alone

For way too long, I felt overwhelmed and all alone.

I felt stuck while at the same time feeling as if my life was racing a million miles a second. I felt mediocre in many avenues of my life. What was wrong with me? Was I the only one who felt this way?

Then I realized something important: This is a big world, and we all have big struggles. We are struggling because we feel the pressure to please instead of the peace that comes from trusting Jesus. And when I trust in Jesus, I have a Savior who reminds me it is not just me. 

We all have days when we are weary and frustrated. We all have struggles, but we all have a Savior. When you give Him true trust and lean on Him for strength, you can get through every single hard day. 

God is not surprised that we get tired and overwhelmed. Isaiah said, “Even youths will become weak and tired. But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint” (40:30–31 NLT).

The reason I felt so overwhelmed and alone in my struggles was that I was relying on my own strength. I believed all the lies that you might believe as well:

I’ve got this!

I can do this on my own!

And the old faithful, I am all I need.

For years, out of fear of rejection, I avoided trusting anyone, including God. I thought if I handled my issues myself, my life would be okay. I kept huffing and puffing only to come up short of where I thought I could get on my own. I was weary because I was forgetting to do what this verse says: trust in the Lord.

I think trust issues cause many of us to struggle to trust God to supply our strength on difficult and lonely days. We believe we have been failed by the church, Christians, friends, family, and, well, almost everyone else. We stopped trusting Jesus and claimed we were just being realistic.

That’s one of the intriguing parts about faith—it was never meant to be realistic. Relying on a Spirit you cannot physically see to give you strength is not realistic. Learning to trust can feel impossible if you have been cheated on, had your heart broken, or have been betrayed. But, my friend, believe me when I say it is possible to do all those things if we ditch our trust issues and cultivate a trust that is stronger than our weariness.

Too often, we make Christianity sound as if it should bring instant transformation. And in a way, it does. When you believe in your heart and confess Jesus with your mouth, He saves you (Romans 10:9). You are made new. But that does not mean life gets easier. Being a Christian doesn’t mean you won’t have bad days. True trust takes work. 

If you are tired of feeling like it’s just you, then let’s look at our hurts, doubts, and fears and let God fill our hearts with true trust so that we can soar like eagles through this adventure we call life.

It’s not just you—and you are never alone. There is joy to be had, adventures to be lived, and laughs to be shared. Our lives are imperfect, yes, but we can lean on each other and lean on our Savior. 

Respond

1. Name one struggle in which you feel all alone. Why do you think that struggle feels so isolating?

2. When you are feeling overwhelmed, do you tend to rely on your own strength, or do you lean on the Lord to be renewed by His strength? What specific things can you do to begin trusting in the Lord during challenging times?

3. Do you tend to have trust issues? Why or why not? Ask God to show you areas in which you have trust issues with Him, and then watch for Him to reveal the adventures He has for you.