Battling The Terrible Toos by Telling the Truth

“too” — a tiny word carrying a lot of weight. A superlative adverb of sorts indicating a higher degree, and excessive amount, a little more than before. Ironically, as a child, I always remembered how to spell this form of the word because it had an extra “o” — ya know, the overachiever of the homophone.

And just like that little word, I “too” can become an overachiever by doing too much too often, becoming too busy too fast, and before I know it, I “too” am wearing overachievement like it’s some badge of honor. I’m learning, though, if not worn properly, it really just covers up the deeper issues of pride and perfection.

I saw a post circulating on social media. You may have seen it, too. It was an image of a letterboard. On the letterboard was a prayer, but the only words that were recognizable were “Dear God,” at the beginning, and “Amen,” at the end. The middle of the prayer consisted of all the other letters just being spilled out and mixed together — all jumbled up. This image and the message it (ironically) so clearly communicates likely resonates with all of us at times, especially when we may be battling the terrible toos!

When I’m too busy, too stressed, too this, or too that, my natural response is initially to double down, which usually leads to meltdown, and eventually and inevitably leads to shutdown.

In my world, it can manifest as writer’s block, creative constipation that leads to verbal vomiting. No matter how you say it (or not say it if the words will not come to express it), it’s a frustrating feeling for a person who is rarely short on words.

And I want to do more than just whip words out, I want to wield them well. My words just get mixed up when they aren’t filtered through His Word, and they can’t be filtered through His Word, if I’m not spending time in His Word daily, because I can’t spend time in His Word daily when my daily schedule has me doing way too much!

Jumbled letters and mixed up words (for me) are indicators of a jumbled life and mixed up priorities. They scream at me like a bad case of the “terrible toos.”

The saying “too many irons in the fire” dates back to the 1600s when a blacksmith would keep irons in the fire while he worked shaping them into what they needed to be. If there were too many irons in the fire, the fire would get too hot and the blacksmith would be too busy to keep up with the work before the irons would melt and disintegrate in the intense heat. So, what once was well on its way to becoming something beautiful burns out and burns up before beauty is beheld.

I don’t know about you, but I can tell very quickly when I have too many irons in the fire. The overachieving makes me underproductive, and doubling down leads to meltdown.

Too many irons in the fire. Too many letters on a board. Too many or too much really equals too little and not enough. We are overloading our schedules, our lists, and our lives without undergirding any of it with prayer.

Just like a toddler with a bad case of the terrible twos needs correction, this momma with a bad case of the terrible “toos” needs to heed some correction, too!

“It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.” ~ Psalms‬ ‭127:2‬

Key word: anxious. It is not wrong to work hard. Working hard is healthy. It is anxiously toiling that leads to the terrible toos.

So, how do we fix it? How do we tame the tantrums of our terrible toos before they take us out?

We tell the truth. We must be honest with ourselves. We are not perfect. We never will be. Let’s stop trying to prove who we are, and simply rest in Whose we are.

I was driving to meet a friend for breakfast this morning, and this song played in the background as I prayed for my day. As my words turned from prayer to worship, I was overwhelmed by God’s presence in my vehicle as I was reminded that He wants my honesty over my ability or productivity. He wants my truth over my toos, because...

too many or too much really equals too little and not enough...

So, I’ll leave you with a link to this song by Matthew West that had me undone as it reminded me there is only One who can help me overcome my terrible toos. His name is Jesus, and He wants me to tell the truth.


Truth Be Told by Matthew West

Lie number one you’re supposed to have it all together
And when they ask how you're doing
Just smile and tell them, "Never better"
Lie number 2 everybody's life is perfect except yours
So keep your messes and your wounds
And your secrets safe with you behind closed doors

Truth be told
The truth is rarely told, now

I say I'm fine, yeah I'm fine oh I'm fine, hey I'm fine but I'm not
I'm broken
And when it's out of control I say it's under control but it's not
And you know it
I don't know why it's so hard to admit it
When being honest is the only way to fix it
There's no failure, no fall
There's no sin you don't already know
So let the truth be told

There's a sign on the door, says, "Come as you are" but I doubt it
'Cause if we lived like it was true, every Sunday morning pew would be crowded
But didn't you say the church should look more like a hospital
A safe place for the sick, the sinner and the scarred and the prodigals
Like me

Well truth be told
The truth is rarely told

Oh am I the only one who says
I'm fine, yeah I'm fine oh I'm fine, hey I'm fine but I'm not
I'm broken
And when it's out of control I say it's under control but it's not
And you know it
I don't know why it's so hard to admit it
When being honest is the only way to fix it
There's no failure, no fall
There's no sin you don't already know
So let the truth be told

Can I really stand here unashamed
Knowin' that you love for me won't change?
Oh God if that's really true
Then let the truth be told

I say I'm fine, yeah I'm fine oh I'm fine, hey I'm fine but I'm not
I'm broken
And when it's out of control I say it's under control but it's not
And you know it
I don't know why it's so hard to admit it
When being honest is the only way to fix it
There's no failure, no fall
There's no sin you don't already know
Yeah I know
There's no failure, no fall
There's no sin you don't already know

So let the truth be told

Stand up. Be strong. and by all means, do your best — not by touting your “toos,” but by telling the truth.

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” ~ Philippians 4:13