February 18, 2025 • 12 mins
Feeling overwhelmed is a reality many artists face, and it's one that we tackle head-on in this episode of the Thriving Christian Artist podcast. After decades of navigating the artistic journey, I’ve found that balancing faith with the pressures of creativity, finances, and personal expectations requires a conscious choice to trust God's timing. Join us as we explore a listener's story from the Created to Thrive Foundations course, where she bravely shares her struggle with anxiety amidst her rapidly unfolding creative path. Through this heartfelt conversation, we discuss the importance of acknowledging emotions and finding peace in God's guidance, rather than succumbing to external stresses.
By leaning into scriptural wisdom and the profound teachings of Jesus, we uncover the power of casting our cares onto the Lord. Whether you're grappling with the pace of your creative journey or wrestling with life's unexpected turns, this episode offers practical and spiritual strategies to navigate those moments of overwhelm. Discover how embracing God's invitation can transform your artistic and life journey, and learn to walk in a season of trust, peace, and joy. This conversation promises to provide encouragement and actionable insights for artists at any stage of their path.
Fuel Your Creative Calling with Weekly Encouragement
Join thousands of Christian artists who are growing in faith, creativity, and purpose.
Subscribe to The Thriving Christian Artist Weekly and receive powerful, faith-filled content every week—designed to encourage your heart, spark your creativity, and equip you to walk boldly in your God-given calling as an artist.
👉 Click here. It’s free. It’s faith-filled. And it’s just for you.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Thriving Christian Artist, the
podcast where we hope youconnect with God to bust through
the roadblocks that have heldyou back for years, create the
work you love and really livethe life you know.
God created you to live as anartist in His kingdom.
I'm Matt Tama, your host.
Let's get started.
Well, hey, my friend, welcometo the podcast.
(00:23):
So glad that you're here withme today.
I recently got an email from astudent of mine who's in our
Created to Thrive Foundationscourse, who was really
struggling with the feeling ofbeing overwhelmed with, you know
, all the pressures that she'strying to grow in regards to her
skill level.
Not only that, but also sharingher art, starting to sell, even
dealing with some things fromthe past.
(00:44):
All of that's kind of happeninga little bit faster and a
little bit sooner than sheplanned and she's wrestling with
that anxiety that can be verynatural that comes with that and
wondering in the middle of thathey, is God actually maybe
nudging me forward a littlefaster than I thought?
Or is this me kind of, you know, yielding to fear and and all
(01:06):
the stuff that's getting in theway?
Listen, if you've been anartist for very long at all and
you're trying to walk with theLord and deal with stuff in your
life, you recognize absolutelythis tension between the
creative pace of your life,trusting the Lord, the external
pressure that you can feel fromfinances and social media, and
even your own expectations.
(01:26):
And listen, if you'restruggling with that or have
ever struggled with that, or ifyou've not yet, you will.
So, either way, this is goingto be a great, great episode for
you, as we really.
I want to jump in today talkingabout God's timing, learn to
trust that, learn to find peacein the process, and also trying
to navigate some of thoseoverwhelming moments that we can
(01:48):
face.
As an artist Because I don'tknow about you, but after doing
this for 30 plus years, yourealize that those moments of
anxiety and real moments whereyou get to step out and trust
the Lord, they happen more oftenthan not.
I want to start out with thisthought the first thing I think
that we've got to do in thesesituations where overwhelm and
(02:10):
anxiety is coming in, wherethings are moving too fast or
either too slow or we're justgetting overwhelmed with what's
going on, it's really importantnot to stuff that.
It's important not to justpositive thinking your way out
of that.
It's important to realize, hey,it's okay for me to feel this
way.
God gave me emotions.
He gave me emotions to be ableto deal with things, to process
(02:32):
things.
And it's okay for me toacknowledge that, hey, I am
overwhelmed, I'm anxious, I'mgoing through a moment here.
But it's also important for us,as believers, to never just stay
in our feelings.
It's important, I think, toalways take those feelings to
the Lord and realize that, hey,god cares about every part of
(02:57):
your journey, your creativejourney, your business journey,
your life journey, your healingjourney.
And I love to kind of rest backon 1 Peter, 5, 7, that this
says this give all of yourworries and cares to God.
Why?
Because he cares for you.
Jesus talked about this too.
Right, come unto me all you whoare heavy laden.
(03:17):
I'll give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, for myyoke is easy and my burden is
light.
Again, there's this idea thatwhen you are anxious and
overwhelmed and frustrated youdo, even though it may not feel
like it sometimes you absolutelyhave a choice and your
intentionality in that momentreally makes the difference on
(03:37):
whether you're able to movethrough those feelings and those
seasons of overwhelm in asuccessful way, or you continue
to stay stuck and overwhelmed,and so learning to make that
exchange with the Lord of hey,I'm acknowledging I'm feeling
like this, you know, I'm feelinglike this Lord, but I'm going
to trust, in this moment, that,as I give these cares, as I give
(04:00):
these anxieties literally likejust pushing them over to his
side of the table, lord, I trustthat you care for me and you're
going to give me peace and joyand the understanding that I
need to be able to walk in thisseason.
Number two, I think it's superimportant to realize that God's
(04:20):
timing in our life and whenwe're learning to walk with that
, it's always led by aninvitation.
It's always led by peace, notby feeling pressure, not by
feeling driven.
You know, god is always, Ibelieve, leading us by
invitation.
He's leading us by showing uswhat could be, showing us what
(04:43):
could be if we'll step out infaith, showing us what could be
if we'll trust him, by givinghim some of the baggage that
we've had in our life.
The enemy, though, is alwayscoming as what, the accuser of
the brethren, the one thatbrings pressure through fear and
anxiety and rush, and if youdon't do this, you're going to
miss this, all this FOMO kind ofstuff.
And so, again, when you're in amoment where life is moving
(05:07):
faster or slower than youthought it would and you're
getting anxious and overwhelmedabout that, it's important, I
think, to just press the pausebutton and say Lord, I'm going
to pause in this moment, I'mgoing to trust that you're right
here with me because you're.
You know, the Holy Spirit isnot outside of you guys.
He, he lives in you as abeliever in Jesus.
He's resonant inside of you.
(05:28):
You are the temple of the HolySpirit.
He's closer than the verybreath that you breathe.
So pause for a moment and sayLord, I want to get back in
touch with your presence, yourpeace.
I'm going to.
I'm asking you, lord, forclarity as opposed to feeling
rushed and overwhelmed, and I'mjust going to breathe in your
peace right now and acknowledgethat you are with me on board,
(05:52):
leading, guiding, directing,available in this moment, and I
don't have to be led by pressureor led by fear or anxiety
Anytime you're feeling thosethings guaranteed.
Those are not from the Lord.
Now number three, and I thinkthis is kind of a longer term
solution as you grow older I'm51 now, I'll be 52 in September
(06:17):
I'm like, oh my gosh, it's a lotof months away, but I'm like I
can see it on the horizon.
You know, as you get older andsome of you are saying, man,
you're just a baby.
I know.
I know Some of you are sayingI'll never be 52.
Well, we're all in differentseasons, right, and I think as
you grow older you learn you gotto trust the season that you're
(06:38):
in.
I mean, remember Ecclesiastessays for everything there's a
season, a time, for everyactivity under heaven and for
every artist and every personwho loves Jesus.
Our artist journey is different.
There's no right time to startselling, to start sharing, to
start doing this, to start doingthat.
The right time is the time that, the moment that you feel that
(06:59):
inspiration and leading of theHoly Spirit, you got to trust
that, as you're walking by faithand stepping with the Lord in
that, he's going to be leadingyour experiences in your life.
I can just look at so manytimes in my life where things
didn't necessarily made sensebut I kept walking by faith with
the Lord and as I did, hecontinued to lead me and guide
(07:22):
me and give me his peace.
The other thing about that is,you know, a lot of times we're
always searching for thisunrealistic sort of idea of
perfection in the middle of it.
And listen, your art and theprocess of making your art and
sharing your art is meaningfuland is important to God and it's
important for you, even whenyou may feel it's imperfect.
(07:42):
I mean, remember secondCorinthians 12, nine.
It says God's power is madeperfect where in our weakness,
so you can absolutely be havingan impact on others and be
encountering the Lord yourself,even when you feel your skills
and your art aren't not, youknow, aren't yet perfect in your
life.
Again, that goes back totrusting the Lord in the process
(08:04):
and realizing you know, numbernext that, hey, you don't.
To trusting the Lord in theprocess and realizing you know
number next, that, hey, youdon't have to be worried about
the pressure of provision,because why?
Provision comes from the Lord.
Provision comes as a promise,not because of who you are right
, based on who you are, yourposition as a son, as a daughter
, not because of yourperformance, not because you do
(08:24):
this or that.
And so learning to trust Godfor provision and for
opportunities and resources andrelationships and divine
appointments, and all of thatlearning to do that in the
season you're in, at the pacethe Lord is leading you.
That is one of the major things, I think.
If you can learn to do that andbegin to practice that, it
(08:44):
shuts down the pressure of theenemy in your life to torture
you with feelings of lack andfear.
The last couple of things Iwould say is this Healing your
healing journey and also sharingyour artwork and even your
development as an artist.
These things have to happen atyour own pace.
(09:09):
None of us get into traumaticsituations and difficulties and
habits in our life in a regularrhythm and we don't walk out of
those in a regular rhythm.
I know people that have hadinstant breakthrough in their
life in situations, and I knowpeople that it's taken years to
learn to walk with the Lord andallow Him to heal the broken
places of their heart.
Same thing with learning toshare their art.
(09:30):
Some people come out man.
They instantly got a hugefollowing on Instagram.
Others, it takes months andeven years to begin to grow a
following of people that reallycare about your journey.
But here's the deal when you'rewalking with the Lord and you're
trusting that every day, hey,the steps of the righteous are
ordered by the Lord, god's notcalling me to be fruitful, he's
(09:51):
calling me to be faithful, andwhen I'm faithful, he produces
the fruit through me as anatural result of my
connectedness to him and myfaithfulness in that process.
Listen, when you begin to trustthat that God's working on me
and he's working through me atthe pace that he wants to do, as
I'm showing up every day andbeing faithful to that process,
(10:12):
again it takes all of thepressure off of you.
Listen, if I've learnedanything in this life, in this
over 30 years of making, it'srealizing that God is not in a
hurry.
In my life, in my art,marketing, in whatever I'm
trying to do, he is walking athis pace.
(10:34):
He's walking at the pace thathe knows we need to walk in so
that we can take in and processall of the healing that he has
for us, all the opportunitiesthat he has for us, and if you
can learn to trust that, you getyou start walking in a whole
lot more peace and less anxietythan you may have ever walked in
(10:54):
.
Listen, I want to pray for youreal quick as we end, because I
know a lot of us are arestruggling with this kind of
stuff all the time and father, Ijust want to thank you right
now for not only the creativitythat you've placed in us, but
the promise that you've placedin each of us as well the
promise to bless us, the promiseto lead us, the promise to
guide us and heal us.
(11:15):
And, lord, we get frustratedwith that sometimes, but, god, I
pray that you would help ustrust your timing, release our
anxiety to you and find joy inthe process of walking with you
as an artist in your kingdom.
Lord, bring healing in ourhearts where it's needed.
Remind us that you're ourultimate provider and that
(11:35):
you're the lover of our soul anda good, good father.
We thank you for that in Jesusname.
Amen.
I love you, my friend.
Thanks so much for being on thepodcast today.
Remember, share it with afriend if it's been a blessing
to you.
Make sure that you'resubscribed and remember till
next time.
You were created to thrive.
Bye, hey, thanks so much forspending a few minutes with me
(11:56):
today on the podcast listen.
I hope it's been a hugeencouragement to you on your
journey as an artist.
Hey, also, before you leave,make sure to hit the subscribe
button so you don't miss any ofthe other episodes of the
Thriving Christian Artistpodcast, and also be sure to
connect with me on Facebook,instagram or at my website,
which is matttommymentoringcom.
(12:17):
Until next time, remember youwere created to thrive.
Bye-bye.
Welcome to the Thriving Christian Artist, the
podcast where we hope youconnect with God to bust through
the roadblocks that have heldyou back for years, create the
work you love and really livethe life you know.
God created you to live as anartist in His kingdom.
I'm Matt Tama, your host.
Let's get started.
Well, hey, my friend, welcometo the podcast.
(00:23):
So glad that you're here withme today.
I recently got an email from astudent of mine who's in our
Created to Thrive Foundationscourse, who was really
struggling with the feeling ofbeing overwhelmed with, you know
, all the pressures that she'strying to grow in regards to her
skill level.
Not only that, but also sharingher art, starting to sell, even
dealing with some things fromthe past.
(00:44):
All of that's kind of happeninga little bit faster and a
little bit sooner than sheplanned and she's wrestling with
that anxiety that can be verynatural that comes with that and
wondering in the middle of thathey, is God actually maybe
nudging me forward a littlefaster than I thought?
Or is this me kind of, you know, yielding to fear and and all
(01:06):
the stuff that's getting in theway?
Listen, if you've been anartist for very long at all and
you're trying to walk with theLord and deal with stuff in your
life, you recognize absolutelythis tension between the
creative pace of your life,trusting the Lord, the external
pressure that you can feel fromfinances and social media, and
even your own expectations.
(01:26):
And listen, if you'restruggling with that or have
ever struggled with that, or ifyou've not yet, you will.
So, either way, this is goingto be a great, great episode for
you, as we really.
I want to jump in today talkingabout God's timing, learn to
trust that, learn to find peacein the process, and also trying
to navigate some of thoseoverwhelming moments that we can
(01:48):
face.
As an artist Because I don'tknow about you, but after doing
this for 30 plus years, yourealize that those moments of
anxiety and real moments whereyou get to step out and trust
the Lord, they happen more oftenthan not.
I want to start out with thisthought the first thing I think
that we've got to do in thesesituations where overwhelm and
(02:10):
anxiety is coming in, wherethings are moving too fast or
either too slow or we're justgetting overwhelmed with what's
going on, it's really importantnot to stuff that.
It's important not to justpositive thinking your way out
of that.
It's important to realize, hey,it's okay for me to feel this
way.
God gave me emotions.
He gave me emotions to be ableto deal with things, to process
(02:32):
things.
And it's okay for me toacknowledge that, hey, I am
overwhelmed, I'm anxious, I'mgoing through a moment here.
But it's also important for us,as believers, to never just stay
in our feelings.
It's important, I think, toalways take those feelings to
the Lord and realize that, hey,god cares about every part of
(02:57):
your journey, your creativejourney, your business journey,
your life journey, your healingjourney.
And I love to kind of rest backon 1 Peter, 5, 7, that this
says this give all of yourworries and cares to God.
Why?
Because he cares for you.
Jesus talked about this too.
Right, come unto me all you whoare heavy laden.
(03:17):
I'll give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, for myyoke is easy and my burden is
light.
Again, there's this idea thatwhen you are anxious and
overwhelmed and frustrated youdo, even though it may not feel
like it sometimes you absolutelyhave a choice and your
intentionality in that momentreally makes the difference on
(03:37):
whether you're able to movethrough those feelings and those
seasons of overwhelm in asuccessful way, or you continue
to stay stuck and overwhelmed,and so learning to make that
exchange with the Lord of hey,I'm acknowledging I'm feeling
like this, you know, I'm feelinglike this Lord, but I'm going
to trust, in this moment, that,as I give these cares, as I give
(04:00):
these anxieties literally likejust pushing them over to his
side of the table, lord, I trustthat you care for me and you're
going to give me peace and joyand the understanding that I
need to be able to walk in thisseason.
Number two, I think it's superimportant to realize that God's
(04:20):
timing in our life and whenwe're learning to walk with that
, it's always led by aninvitation.
It's always led by peace, notby feeling pressure, not by
feeling driven.
You know, god is always, Ibelieve, leading us by
invitation.
He's leading us by showing uswhat could be, showing us what
(04:43):
could be if we'll step out infaith, showing us what could be
if we'll trust him, by givinghim some of the baggage that
we've had in our life.
The enemy, though, is alwayscoming as what, the accuser of
the brethren, the one thatbrings pressure through fear and
anxiety and rush, and if youdon't do this, you're going to
miss this, all this FOMO kind ofstuff.
And so, again, when you're in amoment where life is moving
(05:07):
faster or slower than youthought it would and you're
getting anxious and overwhelmedabout that, it's important, I
think, to just press the pausebutton and say Lord, I'm going
to pause in this moment, I'mgoing to trust that you're right
here with me because you're.
You know, the Holy Spirit isnot outside of you guys.
He, he lives in you as abeliever in Jesus.
He's resonant inside of you.
(05:28):
You are the temple of the HolySpirit.
He's closer than the verybreath that you breathe.
So pause for a moment and sayLord, I want to get back in
touch with your presence, yourpeace.
I'm going to.
I'm asking you, lord, forclarity as opposed to feeling
rushed and overwhelmed, and I'mjust going to breathe in your
peace right now and acknowledgethat you are with me on board,
(05:52):
leading, guiding, directing,available in this moment, and I
don't have to be led by pressureor led by fear or anxiety
Anytime you're feeling thosethings guaranteed.
Those are not from the Lord.
Now number three, and I thinkthis is kind of a longer term
solution as you grow older I'm51 now, I'll be 52 in September
(06:17):
I'm like, oh my gosh, it's a lotof months away, but I'm like I
can see it on the horizon.
You know, as you get older andsome of you are saying, man,
you're just a baby.
I know.
I know Some of you are sayingI'll never be 52.
Well, we're all in differentseasons, right, and I think as
you grow older you learn you gotto trust the season that you're
(06:38):
in.
I mean, remember Ecclesiastessays for everything there's a
season, a time, for everyactivity under heaven and for
every artist and every personwho loves Jesus.
Our artist journey is different.
There's no right time to startselling, to start sharing, to
start doing this, to start doingthat.
The right time is the time that, the moment that you feel that
(06:59):
inspiration and leading of theHoly Spirit, you got to trust
that, as you're walking by faithand stepping with the Lord in
that, he's going to be leadingyour experiences in your life.
I can just look at so manytimes in my life where things
didn't necessarily made sensebut I kept walking by faith with
the Lord and as I did, hecontinued to lead me and guide
(07:22):
me and give me his peace.
The other thing about that is,you know, a lot of times we're
always searching for thisunrealistic sort of idea of
perfection in the middle of it.
And listen, your art and theprocess of making your art and
sharing your art is meaningfuland is important to God and it's
important for you, even whenyou may feel it's imperfect.
(07:42):
I mean, remember secondCorinthians 12, nine.
It says God's power is madeperfect where in our weakness,
so you can absolutely be havingan impact on others and be
encountering the Lord yourself,even when you feel your skills
and your art aren't not, youknow, aren't yet perfect in your
life.
Again, that goes back totrusting the Lord in the process
(08:04):
and realizing you know, numbernext that, hey, you don't.
To trusting the Lord in theprocess and realizing you know
number next, that, hey, youdon't have to be worried about
the pressure of provision,because why?
Provision comes from the Lord.
Provision comes as a promise,not because of who you are right
, based on who you are, yourposition as a son, as a daughter
, not because of yourperformance, not because you do
(08:24):
this or that.
And so learning to trust Godfor provision and for
opportunities and resources andrelationships and divine
appointments, and all of thatlearning to do that in the
season you're in, at the pacethe Lord is leading you.
That is one of the major things, I think.
If you can learn to do that andbegin to practice that, it
(08:44):
shuts down the pressure of theenemy in your life to torture
you with feelings of lack andfear.
The last couple of things Iwould say is this Healing your
healing journey and also sharingyour artwork and even your
development as an artist.
These things have to happen atyour own pace.
(09:09):
None of us get into traumaticsituations and difficulties and
habits in our life in a regularrhythm and we don't walk out of
those in a regular rhythm.
I know people that have hadinstant breakthrough in their
life in situations, and I knowpeople that it's taken years to
learn to walk with the Lord andallow Him to heal the broken
places of their heart.
Same thing with learning toshare their art.
(09:30):
Some people come out man.
They instantly got a hugefollowing on Instagram.
Others, it takes months andeven years to begin to grow a
following of people that reallycare about your journey.
But here's the deal when you'rewalking with the Lord and you're
trusting that every day, hey,the steps of the righteous are
ordered by the Lord, god's notcalling me to be fruitful, he's
(09:51):
calling me to be faithful, andwhen I'm faithful, he produces
the fruit through me as anatural result of my
connectedness to him and myfaithfulness in that process.
Listen, when you begin to trustthat that God's working on me
and he's working through me atthe pace that he wants to do, as
I'm showing up every day andbeing faithful to that process,
(10:12):
again it takes all of thepressure off of you.
Listen, if I've learnedanything in this life, in this
over 30 years of making, it'srealizing that God is not in a
hurry.
In my life, in my art,marketing, in whatever I'm
trying to do, he is walking athis pace.
(10:34):
He's walking at the pace thathe knows we need to walk in so
that we can take in and processall of the healing that he has
for us, all the opportunitiesthat he has for us, and if you
can learn to trust that, you getyou start walking in a whole
lot more peace and less anxietythan you may have ever walked in
(10:54):
.
Listen, I want to pray for youreal quick as we end, because I
know a lot of us are arestruggling with this kind of
stuff all the time and father, Ijust want to thank you right
now for not only the creativitythat you've placed in us, but
the promise that you've placedin each of us as well the
promise to bless us, the promiseto lead us, the promise to
guide us and heal us.
(11:15):
And, lord, we get frustratedwith that sometimes, but, god, I
pray that you would help ustrust your timing, release our
anxiety to you and find joy inthe process of walking with you
as an artist in your kingdom.
Lord, bring healing in ourhearts where it's needed.
Remind us that you're ourultimate provider and that
(11:35):
you're the lover of our soul anda good, good father.
We thank you for that in Jesusname.
Amen.
I love you, my friend.
Thanks so much for being on thepodcast today.
Remember, share it with afriend if it's been a blessing
to you.
Make sure that you'resubscribed and remember till
next time.
You were created to thrive.
Bye, hey, thanks so much forspending a few minutes with me
(11:56):
today on the podcast listen.
I hope it's been a hugeencouragement to you on your
journey as an artist.
Hey, also, before you leave,make sure to hit the subscribe
button so you don't miss any ofthe other episodes of the
Thriving Christian Artistpodcast, and also be sure to
connect with me on Facebook,instagram or at my website,
which is matttommymentoringcom.
(12:17):
Until next time, remember youwere created to thrive.
Bye-bye.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.