Stressed-Less

As a stay at home Mom/house wife, it's hard to think of myself as a person who's "stressed." I figure that's for those ladies out there in the corporate world, or those standing up speaking in front of large groups of people, or those that have seemingly bigger burdens than mine.

But let me tell you all, one chapter into this book and I've learned something eye-opening: Stress is not about your circumstances. It's about how you RESPOND to your circumstances.

I just walked through a fairly stressful circumstance, and I can say honestly, there were days I felt like I couldn't breathe I was so overwhelmed. Often times the only prayer I could utter was something like, "God, please help. Please please help us."

That circumstance may have ended for now, but there's more coming. We may have breaks here and there and some circumstances may be more difficult than others, but we can rest assured, as Jesus said himself, "Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows." (John 16:33)

The key then is not trying to avoid the trials (Jesus himself said they are inevitable), but in knowing how to handle the trials and sorrows. That's where the rest of this verse comes in: "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me...take heart, because I have overcome the world."

As we learned in this first chapter, we can choose how we respond to our stress by first being willing to take responsibility for the things that cause it. When asked to make a list of the people/circumstances I have been blaming for my stress, the list became alarmingly long. It's amazing how I was excusing my stress reactions because I felt like I was entitled to such reactions based on the circumstances I was dealing with.

I like this thought from the author:

"I knew that something had to change; and through God's intervention, I gradually came to understand that what had to change...was me. Once I accepted the truth, my overall life improved. I stopped wondering what was wrong with everyone else, my circumstances, and the world and instead began pondering the hard question: 'What was wrong with me?'"

Another questioned asked us what we could do to begin assuming responsibility for our stress. A few things I came up with:

~realize my reactions are MY choice, regardless of circumstances, I can CHOOSE to respond positively to otherwise negative things.

~Seek God's wisdom, pray for his help (don't try to change in my own strength)

~ STOP blaming others.

~look at my to-do list as a guide, not a measure of success

Trials and difficulties are not meant to give us a reason to worry and be stressed to the max. They are meant to refine us, help us rely upon God and ultimately-to make us more like Christ. If we can deal with the tough things of life like he dealt with a life destined for the cross, then we can truly become more like him. And as we become more like him, we will begin to see things from his perspective.

When we begin to see things form his perspective and begin to let go of the blame that causes us to stumble. In HIS strength, whatever the circumstance, we can truly be stressed-less.