Amanda Carrasco

I do a ridiculous amount of things, but I really love the things I do. There are so many things I don’t get to do that I would love to. Some days it can be overwhelming because at times they demand my attention all at once and, of course, urgently! Last week and this week have been weeks like that ,but in addition, many good things are happening. My kids are growing, my business is growing and more opportunities are possible. But, this adds a huge amount of responsibility, pressure and stress.

I find that when the responsibility, pressure and stress build, I lose sight of the bigger picture. The bigger picture is that God is not calling me to anything that He has not equipped me for. The bigger picture is that I can do all things through Him. When it builds, I feel like there are these arrows that are shot at the bigger picture – it thus becomes a target. They are the arrows of demands, insecurities, and barbs from others etc. They each, one at a time, start to obscure the picture and some cause more damage than others.

I start to feel like I am alone bearing all this responsibility. As the company grows, there are more and more people that depend on me for their livelihood. More and More students who need care. My own children who depend on me for everything – including their schooling. If they get a failing grade in school, it’s really because I haven’t done my job – not because they can’t learn.

I start to really self doubt. Who am I to think I could do one of these things let alone all these things? I look at all my areas of weakness that seem to stand out so much more than my skill. I start to think I should give up something, or all the things.

I think everyone has these times. I am thankful that they don’t seem to last long. I have learned how to handle them better. I take out each arrow; one at a time. I examine if there is any truth to it that I should learn from and throw away the rest. It still takes a while to work through it all and it’s a process. Sometimes as your taking some out, more come in. Like I said – it’s a process. But removing those arrows is critical to again regaining focus of the big picture and being able to once again stand and affirm who I am in Christ, what He has called me to and the fact that He is working in and through me to accomplish this work.

The bigger picture gets me out of bed each morning. The bigger picture inspires me. The bigger picture is my passion and worth all the effort and work. If your feeling overwhelmed, take some moments, step back and look at the bigger picture. If anything is obscuring it, then deal with that stuff and refocus. Sometimes other people can really help us to see obstructions that we can’t see and/or helps us to get rid of them.

Get your eyes back on the prize.

We can do this!