Feeling Underwater? What to Do When Life Floods Over You
Your phone won't stop buzzing. Emails, texts, notifications—everyone needs something from you right now. You're busy all day but getting nowhere.
Busy is a choice. Productive is a skill. Peace is a practice.
Your thoughts are like waves. God is like the ocean you're part of.
Imagine this: You set out to build something important, maybe your own business, a school project, or even just trying to be a better friend, spouse, or parent. At first, you’re motivated. Then, out of nowhere, it’s one challenge after another—deadlines, misunderstandings, old feelings coming back, doubts in your own abilities, or just feeling anxious about keeping up. It’s like a wave that keeps getting bigger and bigger.
If you’ve been through a moment like that, you know how messy emotions can get. It feels like you’re drowning in them. You might even start wondering, “How do I protect what matters to me? How do I not lose myself in this flood?”
That’s exactly where the story of Genesis 7 comes in. It’s more than just a story about a giant boat and a lot of rain… it’s a real look into what happens when life gets overwhelming. And it shows something amazing: you have a way through, and when you listen to the deeper guidance within, you can come out stronger, clearer, and surprisingly, even grateful for the storm.
What Genesis 7 Says: The Flood and the Ark
Let’s look at the story itself. At this point, the world in the Bible has gotten crowded and noisy, with lots of people ignoring what's truly right for them. Noah is different. He listens deeply, and he follows an inner voice that tells him what to do, even when it seems strange.
“Yahweh said to Noah, ‘Come with all of your household into the ship, for I have seen your righteousness before me in this generation... For in seven days, I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will destroy from the surface of the ground.’” (Genesis 7:1,4 WEB)
Noah builds an Ark (a big boat), gathers his family, and brings in animals, just as he’s told. The rain comes. The waters rise. Only those inside the Ark stay safe above the chaos.
“It happened after the seven days, that the waters of the flood came on the earth. In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life... all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the sky’s windows were opened. The rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.” (Genesis 7:10-12 WEB)
“All flesh died that moved on the earth… Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ship.” (Genesis 7:21-23 WEB)
Noah and the Flood: What Are They Inside You?
Every character and event is a part of you. This isn’t about an old story; it’s about your life, your emotions, and your choices, especially when things get hard.
- Noah: The part of you that feels guided, steady, and deeply tuned in. It’s your honest, alert self—the one who quietly senses, “This is what I have to do,” even when it’s tough or confusing.
- The Ark: The safe space you create inside when life is too much outside. Maybe it’s your focused imagination, your ability to calm yourself by paying attention to what matters, or the space you make to feel your feelings without judgment.
- The Flood: The rush of emotions, all the stress, old habits or doubts, regrets, or worries that feel like they could swallow you whole.
- The Animals: All the instincts, hopes, and habits in you—both the good qualities and the messy ones. You don’t get to ignore any part of yourself; you bring everything into your “ark” for safekeeping and awareness.
When life floods you with too much, what’s your “ark”? Do you run, hide, get angry, or numb out with TV and snacks? Or do you ever sit quietly, breathe, and let yourself feel what’s really going on, no matter how uncomfortable, without trying to fix it right away?
The flood isn’t just about disaster. It’s a chance for a reset, a clearing out. If you get honest and let yourself experience both the rain and the safety, you come through on the other side much clearer and new.
Awareness, Obedience, and Listening
Noah’s story starts long before the rain. All through Genesis 6, Noah pays attention to the inner nudge—a kind of wordless knowing or intuition. He listens, even when no one else is. Because of this, he knows what to do before the flood even starts.
- Is there a decision or feeling inside you, nudging you to pause or prepare, but you’ve been ignoring it?
- Have you noticed how, when you get still and listen, you sometimes know what to do long before the big challenge shows up?
That’s your “Noah” moment—the part of you that trusts your deeper knowing, even when it doesn’t make sense to others.
Building the Ark: Making Safe Space for All Your Feelings
Before the rain even falls, Noah is ready. He built his “ark”—a space big enough to hold everything important, including all kinds of animals (the calm ones and the wild ones). In real life, this is what you do when you let yourself feel all your feelings, even the ones you wish you didn’t have—jealousy, anger, fear, hope, joy.
- How do you help yourself feel safe inside when life gets rough? Do you ever write your feelings down, take a quiet walk, or talk with someone you trust so you don’t avoid what’s scary?
- What happens when you welcome all parts of yourself, not just the “good” parts?
Noah didn’t throw out the difficult animals; he brought them inside. In the same way, your strength grows when you allow space for all your emotions and instincts.
The Flood: When Emotions Pour Over
Then, the flood comes. It rains without stopping—forty days and nights. Water fills the earth, lifting the Ark higher. On the outside, it might look like everything is falling apart. But inside, Noah and what he cares about are safe and waiting.
Floods symbolize old emotions, beliefs, or stress that you’ve been carrying and now have to release. You don’t get to choose when storms come, but you do get to choose what you bring into your “Ark” and how you ride it out.
- Can you think of a time you were overwhelmed by everything at once? Did anything help you get through it—like a safe space, trusted friend, or just waiting until your feelings calmed down?
What’s wild: when the rain is pouring, you probably can’t imagine things will ever get better. But every flood—the hard, emotional kind—eventually ends. Life comes back, with more clarity and less clutter.
Staying in the Ark: The Power of Containment
Notice, Noah doesn’t try to control the rain. He doesn’t rush out or sail away. He just remains present in the Ark until the waters settle.
- Have you ever tried to rush through a hard feeling, only to have it come back again later, even stronger?
- Why do you think it helps to just be with what’s happening, without trying to fix it immediately?
Being contained—staying with your own feelings and not running from the storm—is how you let the flood do its work. It washes away confusion and old habits, and allows you to see what matters most.
Pop Culture Example: Staying the Course When Everything Goes Wrong
Think of someone like the founder of Headspace, Andy Puddicombe,, a well-known football player, who often talked about relying on his faith and his inner guidance, especially when his career took unexpected turns. Even when things were rough—getting traded, media criticism, moments of doubt—he stayed steady in his values. He created a “safe space” inside that allowed him to outlast the flood of outside opinions and pressure. Whatever your beliefs, it’s a clear example: storms happen, but finding and building your own “ark”—your sense of purpose, values, and a place of emotional honesty—helps you survive and come out stronger.
The Mystical Meaning: Renewal by Going Through, Not Around
- Noah’s Ark is emotional strength: It’s not about ignoring your feelings, but trusting that when you give yourself space to feel and ride through them, you will not be overtaken. Even big emotions have a purpose—they clear the path for something new.
- The Flood is cleaning out: The downpour can feel cruel, but it washes away what no longer serves you—old stories about yourself, outdated fears, or even habits that made life harder.
- Staying with what matters: When you honor your guidance (the “Noah” inside you), make space for all that’s true (your inner “ark”), and allow the flood of feelings to come and go, you create the conditions for your next big step—a new kind of life.
Genesis 7 isn’t just about surviving—it’s about letting yourself be made new. Not by fighting the storm, but by honoring the voice inside, making space for all of you, and trusting that after the flood, a promise of something better is waiting to appear.
- Is there something in your life right now that feels like a flood? What would it look like to create space for all your feelings about it—without judging yourself, without hurrying to “fix” it?
- What would happen if you trusted your own guidance and made your inner “ark” a priority, even before the storm?
How to Use This Now: A Simple Exercise
The next time things feel overwhelming:
- Take a breath. Pause. Don’t rush to fix or numb out.
- Close your eyes for a moment. Picture all your feelings as animals crowding in—some easy, some wild. Say to yourself: “It’s okay to feel it all.”
- Ask: “What’s the smallest way I can give myself a little more space today—a walk, a journal, a real talk with someone who cares, or just a quiet moment to cry or laugh or be silent?”
- Promise yourself you’ll wait out the “flood” inside, even if takes a while. Remember: you’re not alone. Everyone faces storms. Yours is just a part of growing bigger inside.
Next Time: The Rainbow and the Promise
Genesis 8 brings the rainbow—the promise that after the storm, life isn’t just possible again, but it’s renewed and more colorful than before. Soon, we’ll see what happens when you step out of the Ark, how to claim new life after old patterns have washed away, and how to find hope and promise even after the hardest seasons.
You don’t have to fear the flood. When you answer your inner voice and trust what you’re carrying inside, every storm can clear a path for a new beginning.
