HOW TO MANAGE EXCESS STRESS
Friends, in a world too often filled with bad news, the primary Mission of Discovering A BETTER LIFE MINISTRIES, is in sharing the “Good News” that God, seeks from us not an inherited "hand-me-down" religion, but rather, a strong faith in Him that we "own" personally and which will enable us, throughout our lifetime, to answer emphatically in the affirmative the question "God Are You Really There?"
This is the wonderful reality that we treasure and enjoy by trusting that it is true
(2 Corinthians 5:17).
Today’s Message of Encouragement from Discovering a BETTER LIFE MINISTRIES
(Stories of Real People, Real Events, Real Places)
And are dedicated to HELPING
PEOPLE FIND PEACE and HOPEo
(John 10:10)
(Ron Bainbridge: Editor)
(March 27th, 2020)
HOW TO MANAGE EXCESS STRESS
Friend, Garrison Keillor underwent heart surgery some years ago. Now he is extolling its benefits. And he isn’t talking about better blood flow. According to him, the upside of his surgery is that it has given him permission to take afternoon naps. “God never intended for me to work hard. I can see that now,” he wrote in a Time magazine essay. “My true calling in life is to live unencumbered and follow the fleeting impulses of my heart and take a nap around 2 p.m.” Well, as I think about what Garrison Keillor wrote, it comes to my mind that perhaps he has discovered a truth all of us need to learn - and, I could hope, before having to undergo heart surgery! You see, we humans can’t overextend ourselves forever without paying a horrible price in poor health, damaged relationships, and diminished spirituality. Life on Planet Earth makes certain demands that must be met. For instance, in order to have family and friends, you have to invest yourself in their lives. You have to work in order to carry your part of the load and to provide for yourself and your family.
Naturally, there will be crisis times involving sickness or career setbacks. And there will always be interruptions that range from untimely phone calls to errands to rude sales persons. Since life under these customary conditions is already stressful enough, each of us needs what one writer calls “margin.” Margin is the cushion one builds in beyond what will be necessary to face life’s routine. It is breathing space between tasks. It is ten minutes between clients to relax and shift gears. It is extra income (or less debt) that prevents an unexpected bill from derailing your life. In his book “Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives,” Dr. Richard Swenson claims that busyness is so commonplace for most of us that we don’t even question it. Dr. Swenson goes on to say, “The spontaneous tendency of our culture is to add detail to our lives: one more option, one more commitment, one more debt, one more purchase, one more change, one more job, and one more decision. We deal with more ‘things per person’ than at any other time in history.”
Touché! I am guilty as charged! How about you?
Whether your solution is Keillor’s nap, paying off your credit-card debt, spending more time with your family, or just learning to say no occasionally, you need to find positive ways to guard your life and replenish your reserves.
My friend, if stress is burning you out, only you can administer its antidote!
Unfortunately, in this 21st century, too many people are caught up with a frenzy of activities which, although all important, are increasingly demanding of our time and energy and causing us to be driven along at great speed to fulfill the tasks at hand.
Even for some of us who profess a Christian faith, this frenzy results in us becoming ineffective witnesses for Jesus. Too often, we take pride in explaining to each other about our busyness, but feel vaguely guilty if we relax.
However, God did not intend for us to live in a state of perpetual hurry!
As we continue to read through the pages of the Bible, it becomes very clear that God wants each of His children to take time out for solitude to find rest, refreshment, and new strength for our body and soul.
In Exodus 20:8-11, we read where God commands His people to observe times of physical and spiritual refreshment. In Psalm 23, the psalmist reminds us that “The Lord is our shepherd; who lets us rest in green meadows; He leads us beside peaceful streams. He renews our strength.”
Today, I sincerely pray that each of us might carefully plan our times of solitude, that we may be more effective servants for our Saviour, by guarding against things that disconnect us from a deeper intimacy with our Father in heaven. Obviously sin will do that, but so will excess stress and weariness.
Friend, you and I cannot remain connected to God if we are weighed down by busyness and excess stress. In fact, we can spend so much time doing things for God that we neglect our relationship with Him.
Jesus said, “You cannot be fruitful unless you remain in Me.” (John 15:4). This means finding a place of solitude, reading the Bible, praying and resting in His presence.
Friend, if ever there was an age that needed the practice of solitude and silence, in order to overcome excess stress and find our peace in Christ Jesus, IT IS NOW!
“Laughter dulls the sharpest pain
And flattens out the greatest stress!
To share it is to give a gift of health because,
As someone has pointed out,
‘Ulcers can't grow while you're laughing.’”
(Hunter "Patch" Adams)
Friend, we look forward to sharing more thoughts with you tomorrow. However, if you’d like to write to Discovering A BETTER LIFE with your comments or suggestions, we’d be pleased to hear from you. Our address is P.O. Box 1540, Albany 6331, Western Australia. Phone us on: 98 418 418. Or you may E-mail us at: abl-alb@omninet.net.au
And yes, you are permitted—in fact, encouraged—to pass along any of these messages to those you feel will benefit from them. Just click on the “Forward to a Friend” button.
Your participation in this way makes this “our” ministry instead of “my” ministry.
If you find anything here that brings you, or those with whom you share these messages, into a closer relationship with the Lord, I praise God and thank Him for permitting our paths to cross.
Thank you for taking the time to read today’s message. I hope you will visit us again.
Ron Bainbridge
Co-ordinator of:
Friend, at one time these were just beautiful words to me, until I realized that my name was on the invitation!
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