October 26, 2013 Stress Management Lessons from Jesus by Dianne Prince Life is full of stress. Daily hassles begin the moment you wake up. Oversleeping causes stress. An unexpected run in your last good pair of pantyhose makes you anxious. An early morning phone call with unexpected bad news causes tension. If you are trying to get out of the house on time and the people riding with you are dragging their feet, you get double stressed. Stress is everywhere. Once you finally get out of the house and into the car, an empty gas tank causes stress. A tire that has gone flat during the night causes stress. Everywhere you look there is stress. Your child or grandchild spills their orange juice on their shirt on the way to school – more stress. We get stressed about our kids performance or lack of performance in school; the upcoming job interview; the looming deadline at work; the magnitude of our bills and unexpected expenditures; the cost of gasoline; income taxes; the thought of healthcare; the rising cost of homeowners insurance; how to get the house cleaned before company arrives; and what to feed the company once they get there. Life is full of stress, stress and more stress. You cannot eliminate stress, but you can manage it. There are two principles of stress management. The first principle is to “worry about NOTHING”. There is no value to worrying about something you CANNOT change; something you are NOT responsible for; something you are UNABLE to control; something that frightens and torments you; someone who terrifies or harasses you; something that agitates you; or something that keeps you awake when you should be asleep. Jesus asks, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:27) The second principle of stress management is to “pray about EVERYTHING”. Jesus tells us through Paul, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7). Pray about the big things as well as the little annoyances. There was a time I would go to bed Saturday night and wake up Sunday morning pondering what I was going to wear to church. Figuring out what to wear to church on Sunday was a real stress factor for me. Not because I was concerned about how I would look, but because of the varying sizes of clothes I possess. The issue was around what would “fit” me. God gave me a revelation about what “pray about everything” encompasses. “Everything” literally means “everything” – the WHOLE thing; the entire lot; all; the complete thing; every part of; leave nothing behind. After that profound revelation, I now go to bed on Saturday night in total peace. And I now wake up on Sunday and ask God, “What am I wearing to church today?” Amazingly, he points me to an outfit that “fits” perfectly with matching accessories every Sunday with ease. From that experience, I have learned three things: 1) God wants to be involved in the smallest, most trivial details of my life, 2) if I ask Him, He will help me, and 3) once I give it to Him, it is no longer my issue to figure out. Try it. It works! Worry has never paid a bill. And stress has never solved a problem. However, the bills have always gotten paid, the problems have always gotten solved, and you and I are still here. Do not worry. Do not fret. Give it to God through prayer. Sit back and watch Him work. After all, His job is to solve all your problems – large, mid-sized and small.
Posted on: Sat, 26 Oct 2013 09:55:32 +0000
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