You probably saw the TV news story of the massive sinkhole that opened up in a family's garden in Jonesville, Florida, on May 11, forcing them out of the home they built 37 years ago. Within 24 hours the problem had grown to an 80-foot-long and 40-foot-wide sinkhole that had crept to the edge of the house.

We've all had that sinking feeling, haven't we? Not because of a real-live sinkhole, but because we felt like our troubles were about to get the best of us.

You've been there. When you've got that sinking feeling your circumstances don't make sense. You feel swamped and afraid you are about to be overtaken by the storms in your life. You want to quit.

What can you do to encourage yourself and prevent yourself from giving up when that sinking feeling hits you?

Remember that problems come to everyone. Someone has said our world now has so many problems that if Moses had come down from Mount Sinai today, the two tablets he'd carry would be aspirin. Everyone has problems. It's just that sometimes things can get so bad you start thinking that you are the only person with problems. But you aren't.

Remember, also, that problems don't last forever. Hard times will come to your life, but the hard times will also go by. In fact, I've never seen a storm that stuck around forever. No matter how bad things get, the storm will pass.

Resist the temptation to wonder if God has lost track of you. You certainly want to cry out to the Lord in prayer when hard times come to your life. But you shouldn't think that God doesn't love you or has forsaken you. God often does some of His best work in our lives when we are overwhelmed with problems. God wants His power to flow through your weakness.

Here's another suggestion. When you are feeling overwhelmed and your life is messy, don't tackle too many things at once. Just give attention to one thing at a time. Trying to do too much at once puts your success at risk. Put first things first. Sure, things might be tough for a while as you are working on that one thing, so you'll need to hang in there.

Ask, what can I learn from this? Psalm 119:71 is an interesting Bible verse. “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.” Most of us would have a hard time saying, “It was good for me to be afflicted.” But this verse reminds us that troubles, afflictions and problems can be learning experiences. Asking what you can learn from adversity prevents you from caving in and giving up.

Last, when you feel like you are sinking, trust God to lift you up. A music group, the Eurythmics, had a song with these words: “Here comes that sinking feeling.” The writer of Psalm 40:1-2 must have felt the same way. Pick up a Bible and read these verses. He described his situation as feeling as if he were in a slimy pit, in the mud and mire. He called out to the Lord, waiting patiently, and God lifted him up. He will do the same for you if you will call out to Him in prayer.

You can have God's peace instead of going to pieces. God can bring great calm to great problems. Ask Him to do that in your life the next time you get that sinking feeling.