Living in a land of “too much” …

We sing of America as being the land of the free and the home of the brave, but it’s also become a land of the overwhelmed.

As I hear from people all across this country inquiring about Christian clinical counseling, a common denominator among them is a feeling of being overwhelmed by life. Sometimes it’s not a single problem that’s so enormous it’s overwhelming, but rather a lifestyle they have developed that has become too much for them.

That’s because they live in the land of “too much” …

Too much noise. We’ve long stopped insisting we build into our lives space for quiet, a little silence, in order to think, dream, and regenerate. We just keep slogging along with over-stuffed schedules we allow to rule our lives.

Too much information. People are being overwhelmed with an almost unfathomable amount of data, and haven’t yet figured out how to respond to so much information. Back in 2010, M.G. Siegler reported for techcrunch.com an amazing claim:

Today at the Techonomy conference in Lake Tahoe, CA, the first panel featured Google CEO Eric Schmidt. As moderator David Kirkpatrick was introducing him, he rattled off a massive stat.

Every two days now we create as much information as we did from the dawn of civilization up until 2003, according to Schmidt. That’s something like five exabytes of data, he says.

Let me repeat that: we create as much information in two days now as we did from the dawn of man through 2003.

“The real issue is user-generated content,” Schmidt said. He noted that pictures, instant messages, and tweets all add to this.

Naturally, all of this information helps Google. But he cautioned that just because companies like his can do all sorts of things with this information, the more pressing question now is if they should. Schmidt noted that while technology is neutral, he doesn’t believe people are ready for what’s coming.

“I spend most of my time assuming the world is not ready for the technology revolution that will be happening to them soon,” Schmidt said.

Too many distractions. The volume of people and entities aggressively vying for our attention is smothering.

Too many options. Most people think it’s good to have options … it probably is. It’s also possible to have far too many of them, complicating decision-making for many.

Too many opportunities. Isn’t part of the American dream the “blessing” of having opportunities? Perhaps, but again, it’s possible to have too many of these as well. Not every opportunity should be embraced.

Too much entertainment. We’re a nation addicted to entertainment. It’s difficult to convince anyone we’re drowning in entertainment because we like that idea too much! Who doesn’t like the enjoyment, the pleasure, derived from being entertained? We’ve made the ability to entertain ourselves easy and abundant, and often to the detriment of more important things in life.

Living in a land of too much can result in sensory overload and cause heightened levels of stress and generate anxiety.

Of course, there are other kinds of things we have “too much” of, like …

Demands. It’s not uncommon for some people today to feel paralyzed about what to do because of the volume of demands being placed on them.

Food. Hunger isn’t just a third-world issue – today, one in six people in America face hunger. And yet a gluttonous portion of the population have too much food, so much they live a lifestyle of indulgence that is eroding their health.

Expectations. Not only does it seem like we’re overwhelmed with the volume of expectations placed on us, we’ve become a people who feel free to load limitless expectations upon others. Some call this an attitude of entitlement.

Comfort. This has become the great American idol most people protect with great ferocity.

Stuff. The average American has more than they need. We have so much stuff we spend $38 billion each year on self-storage units just to have enough space to store all our stuff.

Navigating life in the land of too much requires at least two key things – wisdom and self-discipline – both of which God offers to provide us with …

“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking,” James 1:5.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline,” 2 Timothy 1:7.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by “too much,” seek wisdom from God, and the self-discipline to make the wise decisions needed to change your life.

Scotty