Submarines

“One day at a time.” I wrote this motto on the whiteboard in our cubicle about a month ago. I knew we were about to hit the busiest time of the year in our department in early June. The reminder would be necessary daily.

Today in the midst of crazy amounts of orders, a phone ringing off the hook, many questions, a cubicle full of boxes to process, and instant chats popping up on my screen—I obviously felt overwhelmed in the moment. Limited. Not Superwoman. Just Charity. There was an instant today, in the midst of the humanly impossible, that I just sat in my office and thanked God for His constant presence. In everything. Most of all, that I can live out of it. And be aware of it.

I told one of my co-workers a few months back that sometimes it gets so busy at work that I feel like I’m sinking. He responded by encouraging me to “learn how to be a submarine.” I was instantly spurred on and felt like someone else joined in the journey—and got it. I took a pink post-it note and wrote “submarine” and stuck it in the corner of my laptop keyboard.

Most days I do have to be a submarine. Not only at my job, but in life. I am learning that I don’t carry the world on my shoulders, nor is God asking me to do so. Many days and much of life is beyond what I can handle alone. He is asking me to live today. This moment. This hour. To the fullest. To concentrate on what is in front of me. To focus. To embrace. To enjoy.

This is surely a busy and new season for me. There is much transition at work and outside of work. But, there is also an overwhelming sense of peace and stillness. I’m finding that they do go together. And...I am a submarine--fully operational and functioning in the depths.