Over by Tony Manley

Over it. Overbooked. Overextended. Overtired. Overstimulated. Overcome. Overjoyed. Overwhelmed. Overflow.

Guess what word is in my head ALL the time lately??? OVER!  

Being gone during the Christmas break and even the first weeks of the New Year, I have felt like my heart, emotions, and life have been “over_____”.
  
Emotions, don’t you love them? For me, my emotions can have way too much power and presence. They have a tendency to be “over the top” (See? I told you that word is in me). I have realized that when I am over anything (by the way the prefix over means “too much” or “not necessary”), I become overwhelmed and overflow! This can be good or bad.

God is teaching me several truths. Emotions are a gift, but they are not always reliable. Even more true for me is that they are shallow and shifting often depending on the circumstance, responses or lack of responses toward me, or the condition of my heart. So, emotions can be oversensitive or overcoming. Life is a gift, but life can be full of "overs." The words at the beginning of this rambling can basically describe each day in my life. Do you have an “all over the board” type heart too?!

Thankfully, the Holy Spirit intervenes this ADD soul and speaks peace, truth, and grace.  “I have told you these things, SO THAT IN ME you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. (*that is a promise) But take heart! I have OVERcome the world.”  John 16:33 (The definition of overcome – succeed in dealing with a problem or difficulty; master, conquer, defeat; - is good news!)
See, even Jesus knows the word “over.” The wonderful truth of “over” that I am currently being overtaken by the Holy Spirit’s teaching – I am overwhelmed to overflow…will I be overwhelmed with the flesh and overflow with flesh OR will I be overwhelmed with fruit and overflow with fruit? This is my fresh challenge I am embracing each day, to live an overwhelmed life of overflowing fruit. “This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”  John 15:8