Overwhelmed Again

Mark 7:37
People were overwhelmed with amazement. "He has done everything well," they said. "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."

Yesterday I talked about being overwhelmed in the sense of feeling like I can’t deal with the negative. Today I’d like to put a post script on that thought; overwhelmed with amazement.
I am actually writing these two posts back to back in the same day as God has been revealing the juxtaposition of the two ends of the spectrum that being overwhelmed represents.
I am pausing to think about my attitude and where I’m more likely to feel overwhelmed. Is it the negative sense of overwhelming burdens, disappoints and offenses that occupies my thoughts most often? Or is it the overwhelmed concept of how very blessed, graced and honored I am to be one of the children of the Most High? And while we’re talking about it, how can these two extremes co-exist?
There is a local school in our area called Jo Brighton. It’s a training center for special needs people and they specialize in job-training. At our hospital, there are always Jo Brighton kids in the hallways learning to do tasks like delivering papers between departments, sweep the floors, organize flyers. The Jo Brighton kids always make me smile. Sometimes they can be found running down the hallway at full tilt in a foot race laughing their heads off; or careening around a corner with a cart full of papers threatening to fly off in all directions. You’ll usually see an instructor not far behind gently but firmly reminding them how they must behave to work in the hospital.
Those Jo Brighton kids always smile and apologize and you can see them trying very hard not to be quite so inappropriately enthusiastic in their duties.
Last week I was walking down the hallway at the hospital when a couple of these precious Jo Brightoners were walking toward me. One was a young man with Down’s Syndrome and the other was a young lady with cerebral palsy. The young man was dressed neatly in stylish beige cargos and a polo shirt. With his chubby hands and wide grin he was showing off what was clearly a prized possession to his friend. His hospital identification badge. He was holding it out from the lanyard around his neck with pride beaming from his almond eyes. His comrade walked beside him with an uneven and clumsy gait. One arm was drawn up and withered at her side. Her speech was severely impaired. She smiled at her friend and pointed with her good hand at his badge as she lurched down the passageway at his side.
“You look weal nice in dat pitcha. You look like a good worka and a nice fren.”
“I’m gonna be da bes worka. You gonna be a good worka too.”
“Yeah, we gonna be good workas and good frens, huh?”
It took a matter of seconds for these two “worka and frens” to walk past me and for me to overhear their conversation. I stopped to watch them as they walked on down the hall. She clumsily bumping into him, he continuing to admire his brand new badge and encourage her about how proud he was of her hard work.
So simple. So overwhelming.
I can get out of bed and stand on my own two feet. I drive a car and go to work and collect a pretty decent paycheck for it.
I am saved by grace and loved by many.
I am a good worka and I have good frens.
This is what should overwhelm me.
And it does.

Psalm 65:2-4
O you who hear prayer, to you all men will come. When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions. Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple.