Overload

     For those of us in the education world schedules are about to get turned upside down! Summer vacation is winding down, a thought that brings with it a mixed set of emotions. For the educators, sleeping in late, loose schedules, poolside afternoons, and staying up late watching movies and eating popcorn is about to come to a screeching halt. Students would tell you they aren't excited about starting back, but reconnecting with friends and the beginning of a new school year offers new classmates and new classes which puts a tingle in their minds as they prepare for their first day back. For parents, on the other hand, the party is just about to begin, the kids are finally going back to school! All kidding aside, as we transition back into a new school year, life will change dramatically for all involved in this business we call education pretty darn quick. Early morning showers, last minute papers to be signed or submitted, time lines, deadlines, and "I need this yesterday"requests will welcome our teachers back to the "real world".
      If you aren't in the education profession, you are probably reading this thinking, "Well suck it up buttercup we don't get summer vacation", because you still have the same deadlines and time lines to deal with in your own profession. It isn't just at work where we can feel like its all on us, at home as a parent, a spouse, a sibling, or even as a neighbor you may be the one that everybody depends on to get things done. Maybe you are that person that doesn't have the word "No" in your vocabulary, or maybe you are just the person that everyone looks to because they know that you know how to get things done. Whatever the case may be, I believe it is safe to assume that we all feel a little overwhelmed at one time or another. Normal? Well if you are living life it is highly likely that you will reach overload status at some point. The real question isn't whether you are or will experience an overload at some point in your life, but instead it is more about how do you handle the mental and physical overloads when they rear their heads in our lives?
      For an answer to the above question, I would point you to the plight of the disciples and a situation they found themselves back in Matthew 14:13-21. You may be familiar with the story of Jesus, the crowd of five thousand, and the five loaves of bread and the two fish, but what I want to draw to your attention is how the disciples first reacted and then how the situation turned out during their own overloaded circumstance. When Jesus spoke people listened, in this case more than 5,000 people had gathered in a remote area to listen to their teacher and they had stayed until way late in the day. The disciples knew that the crowd had to be hungry and went to Jesus to have Him send the crowd away to go get food in the nearby towns. They were at overload status, here's this huge crowd, they have been with Jesus all day with no breaks, and now their stomachs were starting to rumble and so were their voices. So when they asked Jesus to send them away they did so because they knew they couldn't take care of the crowd. Guess what? They were right, on their own they couldn't feed a crowd this size, especially after they did an inventory check and could only come up with five loaves of stale bread and two little bittie fishys! They couldn't take care of their overloaded situation just like you can't take care of your overloaded circumstance by yourself. Unbeknownst to the disciples the very person they went to in hopes of dismissing the crowd actually gave them the solution to their dilemma and it wasn't to send the crowd away. As Matthew shares the rest of the story we know Jesus blessed the loaves and fish and then told the disciples to feed the crowd. By the time everyone had eaten as much as they could there was still enough leftover to fill twelve baskets with food.
     What man cannot do, God can. What we see as impossible, God makes all things possible (Matthew 19:26). When our schedule is at maximum overload and we feel like we can't carry on, God says give me your load, I'll be with you and I'll actually carry that load for you! (Matthew 11:30) As we conclude today's FTM let's make sure we are clear on one thing. When the disciples asked Jesus to remove their situation overload, He didn't. Instead when they came to Jesus asking for His help, He gave them the tools they needed to take care of their situation. He is there to do the same thing for each of us. No promises that all of a sudden your problems are going to disappear this year just because you pray for help. I think it is clear that that isn't necessarily how it all works. When you come seeking help rest assured you will receive the help you need, it just may not be a miracle, but instead it might just be some tartar sauce and cheese for your fish sandwich!
For those going back to school, remember you are not in this alone! For anyone else reading this message today, the same holds true for you as well!
Coach Carter