Isaiah 30:8-15; Mark 4:35-41 August 23, 2009
“Jesus’ Stress Solution, Part 1”
Rev. Meagan M. Boozer
Isaiah 30:8-15
Go now, write it before them on a tablet, and inscribe it in a book, so that it may be for the time to come as a witness forever. For they are a rebellious people, faithless children, children who will not hear the instruction of the LORD; who say to the seers, “Do not see”; and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions, leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.” Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel:
Because you reject this word, and put your trust in oppression and deceit, and rely on them; therefore this iniquity shall become for you like a break in a high wall, bulging out, and about to collapse, whose crash comes suddenly, in an instant; its breaking is like that of a potter’s vessel that is smashed so ruthlessly that among its fragments not a sherd is found for taking fire from the hearth, or dipping water out of the cistern. For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.
Mark 4:35-41
On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Holy God, open up our minds and hearts to receive your words of truth today. I pray that the words of my mouth and meditations of each of our hearts would be found acceptable in your sight, our Rock and our Redeemer. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Okay, those seem like very different scriptures. What has one to do with the other?
Well, today we’re beginning a 3-part sermon series on Jesus’ Stress Solutions. I’m going to preach on the Mark text, helping us see what Jesus did to keep his peace in the midst of the storms of life, but the Isaiah text gives us a clear picture of what it sometimes feels like to be under great stress: We feel like the wall is bulging out, ready to collapse on us, and we’re either
1) running around in a panic trying find more ways to prop up the wall – or
2) we’re immobilized, just waiting for the crash that is bound to come.
All of us have probably reacted
to stress in both of these ways.
But let’s get something clear: This is not a sermon series about stress. No one wants to hear someone talk about stress. That would be stressful! But what we do want to talk about is stress relief – stress solutions. I was sort of surprised by the congregation’s reaction last Sunday when I told you I was starting this sermon series. It was like you were a room full of bobble heads! Every head started nodding at the same time: Yes! We need some stress solutions! Lots of people are stressed out for lots of the same and lots of different reasons. Our country is in real trouble right now. We get stressed out just thinking about what might happen in this “land of opportunity” over the next 2, 5, 10, or 20 years. How will our children, grandchildren, or great grandchildren find their way when so many of the ways of opportunity seem to be closing?
We need a solution to the stress we feel. We need to know what to do, or what not to do to keep our peace. But first we need to know why we get stressed in the first place. I think the Scripture will help us with this. We’re going to begin by asking the who, what, when, where, & why questions.
Who is speaking in this story and to whom? Jesus is speaking to his disciples, the disciples were speaking to Jesus, and the disciples were speaking to each other. So this is really about Jesus and his closest followers. This teaching is not for the general crowd. This lesson is for disciples.
What is the passage about? It’s about Jesus and the disciples getting caught on the Sea of Galilee in the middle of a storm.
When does this take place? (v. 35) At the end of a day of ministry, when evening had come.
Where? This story starts on the shore and continues into the middle of the sea.
Why does Mark write what he writes here? Well, at first glance, it seems that he is telling a story to emphasize the authority of Jesus Christ even over the wind and the waves. He’s showing the faithlessness of Jesus’ disciples, the power of fear in a stressful situation, and the reality of Jesus’ calm presence in the midst of the storm.
What problems were the recipients facing? Well, the disciples were tired. Jesus was tired. They had been with crowds of people all day, and even though they tried to leave the crowds behind, people still sailed along with them as they tried to get a little break. So, they were tired - they needed to get away from the crowds, but it wasn’t working. Then, a great storm blew up and the boat was taking on water. And, to beat it all, Jesus (because he was tired) was sleeping through it all and didn’t seem to care a whit that they were all going to perish at sea! This seems like a pretty stressful situation, wouldn’t you say?
What went on before and after this story? Well, before this story we read of Jesus teaching, teaching, teaching. He was teaching the crowds in parables, and then taking his disciples off to the side to explain further what he meant. So, he was doing large group preaching and small group discipleship – alternating between the two. No wonder Jesus was wiped out.
After this storm incident, when they got to the other side of the sea, Jesus and the disciples met up with the Gerasene demoniac, encountering spiritual warfare with a legion of demons inside this wild man. The result of Jesus’ authority over the demons, was the man’s freedom, and an angry townful of people.
Hmm. Sounds pretty stressful (before, during, and after the storm at sea).
Let me ask a question. Do you think you have more situations in your life that are stress producing situations than Jesus had? (No!)
Here he was – fully human – trying to coach 12 guys into becoming the very best “Team for Change” the world has ever seen. And they just couldn’t seem to catch on. Just when he thought they had really grasped a major truth, they’d fall into a panic about too little food for lunch or a little water in the boat!
Do you ever feel this way? Like you really have something great to tell people, but no one seems to listen? That can be very stressful.
Do you ever think someone has finally turned the corner on understanding a major project at work, and then all of a sudden, they’re standing in front of you wringing their hands, needing to start all the way back at the beginning? That can make the stress pile up.
Have you ever been so overwhelmed by the crowd, that you just had to get a breath – and then you went to get a breath – and someone was right on your tail? Stress city.
Jesus was a wonderful manager of stress. He knew when he had hit his energy limit; he made a decision to back away to breathe, (he actually got in the boat to take a break), and he intentionally went to the back of the boat to rest & recharge.
We don’t do so well at this. Many of us keep piling on the stressors because as some level (admit it or not) many of us consider ourselves to be indispensable – to our families, to our companies, to our friends, to our team, to our church, etc. Many of us think that if we aren’t here or there, nothing is going to go well – or maybe it won’t go at all!
We are all unique, and bring wonderfully unique gifts to share in life – but to get to the place where we make ourselves an essential element of any place or program or institution is like poison to ourselves and everyone else. Listen: to be able to live in peace, in the middle of life’s storms that come up sometimes with warning and sometimes without warning, we must take Jesus’ model and make it ours: we must pull away periodically to rest and refresh. We have to realize life will go on without us. We are not personally indispensable, nor should we ever allow others to rely on us as if everything depended on us.
So, Jesus’ stress solution #1 for today is: Make time to rest from all the craziness that goes on in our lives. Make time, and then take the time. Admit that you are not indispensable – only God is truly necessary. The result will be that you will be better prepared to handle whatever is on the other side of the storm!
Jesus’ stress solution #2 is this: Admit that you are not invincible. Even Jesus knew this about himself – and he was fully God! Many of us allow ourselves to keep taking on more and more responsibilities without acknowledging the TRUTH that we have limited amounts of energy and compassion. Many of us think we are the “energizer bunny” and keep going and going and going. And the result is a life that is constantly on the brink of fatigue and exhaustion – even though, of course, we deny that we feel anything but ‘great!” “How are you?” “Tired. Great, but tired.”
Mary Frye talks about this from the perspective of a bird in a cage. “If you look closely at one wire in the cage, you cannot see the other wires. If your conception of what is before you is determined by this myopic focus, you could look at that one wire, up and down the length of it, and be unable to see why a bird would not just fly around the wire anytime it wanted to go someplace. It is only when you step back, stop looking at the wires one by one, microscopically, and take a larger view of the whole cage that you can see why the bird doesn’t go anywhere; and then you will see it in a moment. It will take no great subtlety of mental powers. It is perfectly obvious that the bird is surrounded by a network of systematically related barriers, no one of which would be the least hindrance to its flight, but which, by their relation to each other, are as confining as the solid walls of a dungeon.
What are some of the big stressors we have in life? Every event in life causes stress, whether it is a happy or sad event. Every event in life has the potential to suck the peace right out of us and pour stress into us like a thick cup of mud.
Think with me about the following. In the last two years, did any of the following happen in your life?
Minor violation of the law
Major holidays
Vacation
Major change in the number of family get-togethers
Change in eating habits
Major change in sleeping habits (a lot more or a lot less than usual)
Taking on a loan
Major change in social activities
Major change in usual type and/or amount of recreation
Major change in church activity (a lot more or less than usual)
Major changes in working hours or conditions
Changes in residence
Changing schools
Trouble with the boss
Revision of personal habits (quitting drinking, smoking)
Major change in living condition
Spouse beginning or ceasing work outside the home
Beginning or ceasing formal schooling
Outstanding personal achievement
Major change in responsibilities at work
Son or daughter leaving home
Trouble with in-laws
Foreclosure on a mortgage or loan
Taking on a mortgage for home or business
Change in number of arguments with spouse
Change to a different line of work
Death of a close friend
Change in financial state
Sexual difficulties
Gaining a new family member (birth, adoption)
Major business readjustment
Older adult moving in
Pregnancy
Change in the health/behavior of a family member
Marital reconciliation with mate
Retirement from work
Being fired at work
Marriage
Personal injury or illness
Detention in jail or other institution
Death of a close family member
Marital separation from mate
Divorce
Death of spouse
I am sure that almost all of us, if not all of us have experienced at least 2 of these events in the last 2 years. At any given point in time, a person could be carrying at least a half dozen or more.
75-90% of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress-related complaints or disorders. An estimated one million workers are absent on an average workday because of stress related complaints. Stress is said to be responsible for more than half of the 550,000,000 workdays lost annually because of absenteeism. Workplace violence is rampant. There are almost two million reported incidents of homicide, aggravated assault, rape, or sexual assaults. Homicide is the second leading cause of fatal occupational injury. (And these stats were taken from a USA Today article that was written in March of 1991!) How much higher are these numbers in 2009?!
So, here’s our assignment for this week: We have to be intentional about taking a step back from everything that’s going on in our lives to:
Get a little perspective (we can’t see the forest for the trees, the cage for the single wire), then:
Make time to pull away from all the responsibilities to remind yourself and others that you are not indispensable nor invincible, so that you can:
Rest and refresh.
Now, I can just hear Katrina and JR, as parents of 9-month-old twin girls and a 3-year-old, saying, “Yeah, right.” I can hear many of you in my head saying, “Meagan, that all sounds peachy-keen, but I have no control over my work schedule, my work load, the people I have to work with.” I really do hear your objections, or your disbelief, or your resignation.
But see, that’s what the disciples were saying, too, “Hey, we’re going to perish out here in this storm and there’s nothing we can do about it.” That in itself is not the greatest faith-filled statement. But by my reading, the more dangerous, debilitating statement is what comes next, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
This is what stress upon stress, without a viable solution does to us: It takes us not to a place of communion with Jesus (who is the Prince of Peace), but it takes us away from him. In a sense it puts us on the opposing side from Jesus: he’s in the back of the boat all calm and cozy, and we’re in the front of the boat acting like maniacs and pointing at him as the cause of it all!
There’s only one way to be a good stress manager – and that’s what we have to learn to be, because stress producing events are happening to us all the time. We can’t alleviate stress, but we can learn to manage it and minimize its affects on us.
So, here are the steps again for this week:
Get a little perspective (we can’t see the forest for the trees, the cage for the single wire)
Make time to pull away from all the responsibilities,
Take time to rest, and
Commune with God. Read a Psalm every day. Sit for a few minutes and pray prayers of thanksgiving for all his blessings. Focus on all he has done for you, instead of all the stressors.
For if the wind and the waves settle down when he says so, surely he can speak peace and settle us down, too.
An Ode To A Weary Soul
Submitted by: Mother Goose
Author: Ktdid
Last week I ran away from home,
Away from work, away from phone.
All things of which I’d had enough,
I drove south ’til I reached the gulf.
A blanket spread on sun warmed sand,
Amid all sorts, from pale to tan.
They knew me not nor bothered me,
While I lay listening to the sea.
Waiting for my soul to rest.
As the sun waned toward the West,
Symphonies through my stillness rang.
Children laughed and seagulls sang,
In rhythm to the metered surf;
A harmony marked by timeless worth.
I idly toyed with drifted sand,
As countless grains fell from my hand,
Like sands undone from hourglass.
I felt my taut release at last,
And rest to my weary soul did come,
With knowledge I must return to home.
We can’t escape the stressors forever, but we can zap its effects, if we find a place and a way to rest and recharge. Let’s pray about it:
Oh Father, thank you for your instructions. Thank you for Jesus’ example. Thank you for leaving us your word to help us know what to do. We are stressed out. Many of us are filled with worry and stress, and don’t see an end in sight. You promise to take hold of our hand and give us victory. You promise to strengthen us and help us, and yet we so quickly forget your faithfulness. We ask for your help in making some decisions about intentional rest for our bodies, our minds, and our spirits. Help us be mindful of the load we place on others, and to be responsible to manage our own load with integrity and faith. Forgive us for those times we appointed ourselves as martyrs to gain attention or pity. Forgive us for considering ourselves indispensable or invincible. Forgive us for disobeying your Sabbath law of rest and refreshment. Help us make time to rest with you. This we pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
“Jesus’ Stress Solution, Part 1”
Rev. Meagan M. Boozer
Isaiah 30:8-15
Go now, write it before them on a tablet, and inscribe it in a book, so that it may be for the time to come as a witness forever. For they are a rebellious people, faithless children, children who will not hear the instruction of the LORD; who say to the seers, “Do not see”; and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions, leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.” Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel:
Because you reject this word, and put your trust in oppression and deceit, and rely on them; therefore this iniquity shall become for you like a break in a high wall, bulging out, and about to collapse, whose crash comes suddenly, in an instant; its breaking is like that of a potter’s vessel that is smashed so ruthlessly that among its fragments not a sherd is found for taking fire from the hearth, or dipping water out of the cistern. For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.
Mark 4:35-41
On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Holy God, open up our minds and hearts to receive your words of truth today. I pray that the words of my mouth and meditations of each of our hearts would be found acceptable in your sight, our Rock and our Redeemer. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Okay, those seem like very different scriptures. What has one to do with the other?
Well, today we’re beginning a 3-part sermon series on Jesus’ Stress Solutions. I’m going to preach on the Mark text, helping us see what Jesus did to keep his peace in the midst of the storms of life, but the Isaiah text gives us a clear picture of what it sometimes feels like to be under great stress: We feel like the wall is bulging out, ready to collapse on us, and we’re either
1) running around in a panic trying find more ways to prop up the wall – or
2) we’re immobilized, just waiting for the crash that is bound to come.
All of us have probably reacted
to stress in both of these ways.
But let’s get something clear: This is not a sermon series about stress. No one wants to hear someone talk about stress. That would be stressful! But what we do want to talk about is stress relief – stress solutions. I was sort of surprised by the congregation’s reaction last Sunday when I told you I was starting this sermon series. It was like you were a room full of bobble heads! Every head started nodding at the same time: Yes! We need some stress solutions! Lots of people are stressed out for lots of the same and lots of different reasons. Our country is in real trouble right now. We get stressed out just thinking about what might happen in this “land of opportunity” over the next 2, 5, 10, or 20 years. How will our children, grandchildren, or great grandchildren find their way when so many of the ways of opportunity seem to be closing?
We need a solution to the stress we feel. We need to know what to do, or what not to do to keep our peace. But first we need to know why we get stressed in the first place. I think the Scripture will help us with this. We’re going to begin by asking the who, what, when, where, & why questions.
Who is speaking in this story and to whom? Jesus is speaking to his disciples, the disciples were speaking to Jesus, and the disciples were speaking to each other. So this is really about Jesus and his closest followers. This teaching is not for the general crowd. This lesson is for disciples.
What is the passage about? It’s about Jesus and the disciples getting caught on the Sea of Galilee in the middle of a storm.
When does this take place? (v. 35) At the end of a day of ministry, when evening had come.
Where? This story starts on the shore and continues into the middle of the sea.
Why does Mark write what he writes here? Well, at first glance, it seems that he is telling a story to emphasize the authority of Jesus Christ even over the wind and the waves. He’s showing the faithlessness of Jesus’ disciples, the power of fear in a stressful situation, and the reality of Jesus’ calm presence in the midst of the storm.
What problems were the recipients facing? Well, the disciples were tired. Jesus was tired. They had been with crowds of people all day, and even though they tried to leave the crowds behind, people still sailed along with them as they tried to get a little break. So, they were tired - they needed to get away from the crowds, but it wasn’t working. Then, a great storm blew up and the boat was taking on water. And, to beat it all, Jesus (because he was tired) was sleeping through it all and didn’t seem to care a whit that they were all going to perish at sea! This seems like a pretty stressful situation, wouldn’t you say?
What went on before and after this story? Well, before this story we read of Jesus teaching, teaching, teaching. He was teaching the crowds in parables, and then taking his disciples off to the side to explain further what he meant. So, he was doing large group preaching and small group discipleship – alternating between the two. No wonder Jesus was wiped out.
After this storm incident, when they got to the other side of the sea, Jesus and the disciples met up with the Gerasene demoniac, encountering spiritual warfare with a legion of demons inside this wild man. The result of Jesus’ authority over the demons, was the man’s freedom, and an angry townful of people.
Hmm. Sounds pretty stressful (before, during, and after the storm at sea).
Let me ask a question. Do you think you have more situations in your life that are stress producing situations than Jesus had? (No!)
Here he was – fully human – trying to coach 12 guys into becoming the very best “Team for Change” the world has ever seen. And they just couldn’t seem to catch on. Just when he thought they had really grasped a major truth, they’d fall into a panic about too little food for lunch or a little water in the boat!
Do you ever feel this way? Like you really have something great to tell people, but no one seems to listen? That can be very stressful.
Do you ever think someone has finally turned the corner on understanding a major project at work, and then all of a sudden, they’re standing in front of you wringing their hands, needing to start all the way back at the beginning? That can make the stress pile up.
Have you ever been so overwhelmed by the crowd, that you just had to get a breath – and then you went to get a breath – and someone was right on your tail? Stress city.
Jesus was a wonderful manager of stress. He knew when he had hit his energy limit; he made a decision to back away to breathe, (he actually got in the boat to take a break), and he intentionally went to the back of the boat to rest & recharge.
We don’t do so well at this. Many of us keep piling on the stressors because as some level (admit it or not) many of us consider ourselves to be indispensable – to our families, to our companies, to our friends, to our team, to our church, etc. Many of us think that if we aren’t here or there, nothing is going to go well – or maybe it won’t go at all!
We are all unique, and bring wonderfully unique gifts to share in life – but to get to the place where we make ourselves an essential element of any place or program or institution is like poison to ourselves and everyone else. Listen: to be able to live in peace, in the middle of life’s storms that come up sometimes with warning and sometimes without warning, we must take Jesus’ model and make it ours: we must pull away periodically to rest and refresh. We have to realize life will go on without us. We are not personally indispensable, nor should we ever allow others to rely on us as if everything depended on us.
So, Jesus’ stress solution #1 for today is: Make time to rest from all the craziness that goes on in our lives. Make time, and then take the time. Admit that you are not indispensable – only God is truly necessary. The result will be that you will be better prepared to handle whatever is on the other side of the storm!
Jesus’ stress solution #2 is this: Admit that you are not invincible. Even Jesus knew this about himself – and he was fully God! Many of us allow ourselves to keep taking on more and more responsibilities without acknowledging the TRUTH that we have limited amounts of energy and compassion. Many of us think we are the “energizer bunny” and keep going and going and going. And the result is a life that is constantly on the brink of fatigue and exhaustion – even though, of course, we deny that we feel anything but ‘great!” “How are you?” “Tired. Great, but tired.”
Mary Frye talks about this from the perspective of a bird in a cage. “If you look closely at one wire in the cage, you cannot see the other wires. If your conception of what is before you is determined by this myopic focus, you could look at that one wire, up and down the length of it, and be unable to see why a bird would not just fly around the wire anytime it wanted to go someplace. It is only when you step back, stop looking at the wires one by one, microscopically, and take a larger view of the whole cage that you can see why the bird doesn’t go anywhere; and then you will see it in a moment. It will take no great subtlety of mental powers. It is perfectly obvious that the bird is surrounded by a network of systematically related barriers, no one of which would be the least hindrance to its flight, but which, by their relation to each other, are as confining as the solid walls of a dungeon.
What are some of the big stressors we have in life? Every event in life causes stress, whether it is a happy or sad event. Every event in life has the potential to suck the peace right out of us and pour stress into us like a thick cup of mud.
Think with me about the following. In the last two years, did any of the following happen in your life?
Minor violation of the law
Major holidays
Vacation
Major change in the number of family get-togethers
Change in eating habits
Major change in sleeping habits (a lot more or a lot less than usual)
Taking on a loan
Major change in social activities
Major change in usual type and/or amount of recreation
Major change in church activity (a lot more or less than usual)
Major changes in working hours or conditions
Changes in residence
Changing schools
Trouble with the boss
Revision of personal habits (quitting drinking, smoking)
Major change in living condition
Spouse beginning or ceasing work outside the home
Beginning or ceasing formal schooling
Outstanding personal achievement
Major change in responsibilities at work
Son or daughter leaving home
Trouble with in-laws
Foreclosure on a mortgage or loan
Taking on a mortgage for home or business
Change in number of arguments with spouse
Change to a different line of work
Death of a close friend
Change in financial state
Sexual difficulties
Gaining a new family member (birth, adoption)
Major business readjustment
Older adult moving in
Pregnancy
Change in the health/behavior of a family member
Marital reconciliation with mate
Retirement from work
Being fired at work
Marriage
Personal injury or illness
Detention in jail or other institution
Death of a close family member
Marital separation from mate
Divorce
Death of spouse
I am sure that almost all of us, if not all of us have experienced at least 2 of these events in the last 2 years. At any given point in time, a person could be carrying at least a half dozen or more.
75-90% of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress-related complaints or disorders. An estimated one million workers are absent on an average workday because of stress related complaints. Stress is said to be responsible for more than half of the 550,000,000 workdays lost annually because of absenteeism. Workplace violence is rampant. There are almost two million reported incidents of homicide, aggravated assault, rape, or sexual assaults. Homicide is the second leading cause of fatal occupational injury. (And these stats were taken from a USA Today article that was written in March of 1991!) How much higher are these numbers in 2009?!
So, here’s our assignment for this week: We have to be intentional about taking a step back from everything that’s going on in our lives to:
Get a little perspective (we can’t see the forest for the trees, the cage for the single wire), then:
Make time to pull away from all the responsibilities to remind yourself and others that you are not indispensable nor invincible, so that you can:
Rest and refresh.
Now, I can just hear Katrina and JR, as parents of 9-month-old twin girls and a 3-year-old, saying, “Yeah, right.” I can hear many of you in my head saying, “Meagan, that all sounds peachy-keen, but I have no control over my work schedule, my work load, the people I have to work with.” I really do hear your objections, or your disbelief, or your resignation.
But see, that’s what the disciples were saying, too, “Hey, we’re going to perish out here in this storm and there’s nothing we can do about it.” That in itself is not the greatest faith-filled statement. But by my reading, the more dangerous, debilitating statement is what comes next, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
This is what stress upon stress, without a viable solution does to us: It takes us not to a place of communion with Jesus (who is the Prince of Peace), but it takes us away from him. In a sense it puts us on the opposing side from Jesus: he’s in the back of the boat all calm and cozy, and we’re in the front of the boat acting like maniacs and pointing at him as the cause of it all!
There’s only one way to be a good stress manager – and that’s what we have to learn to be, because stress producing events are happening to us all the time. We can’t alleviate stress, but we can learn to manage it and minimize its affects on us.
So, here are the steps again for this week:
Get a little perspective (we can’t see the forest for the trees, the cage for the single wire)
Make time to pull away from all the responsibilities,
Take time to rest, and
Commune with God. Read a Psalm every day. Sit for a few minutes and pray prayers of thanksgiving for all his blessings. Focus on all he has done for you, instead of all the stressors.
For if the wind and the waves settle down when he says so, surely he can speak peace and settle us down, too.
An Ode To A Weary Soul
Submitted by: Mother Goose
Author: Ktdid
Last week I ran away from home,
Away from work, away from phone.
All things of which I’d had enough,
I drove south ’til I reached the gulf.
A blanket spread on sun warmed sand,
Amid all sorts, from pale to tan.
They knew me not nor bothered me,
While I lay listening to the sea.
Waiting for my soul to rest.
As the sun waned toward the West,
Symphonies through my stillness rang.
Children laughed and seagulls sang,
In rhythm to the metered surf;
A harmony marked by timeless worth.
I idly toyed with drifted sand,
As countless grains fell from my hand,
Like sands undone from hourglass.
I felt my taut release at last,
And rest to my weary soul did come,
With knowledge I must return to home.
We can’t escape the stressors forever, but we can zap its effects, if we find a place and a way to rest and recharge. Let’s pray about it:
Oh Father, thank you for your instructions. Thank you for Jesus’ example. Thank you for leaving us your word to help us know what to do. We are stressed out. Many of us are filled with worry and stress, and don’t see an end in sight. You promise to take hold of our hand and give us victory. You promise to strengthen us and help us, and yet we so quickly forget your faithfulness. We ask for your help in making some decisions about intentional rest for our bodies, our minds, and our spirits. Help us be mindful of the load we place on others, and to be responsible to manage our own load with integrity and faith. Forgive us for those times we appointed ourselves as martyrs to gain attention or pity. Forgive us for considering ourselves indispensable or invincible. Forgive us for disobeying your Sabbath law of rest and refreshment. Help us make time to rest with you. This we pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
