How well do you handle stress?

                        
I don't know about you, but I find stress to be rather pleasant and tranquil. Just kidding, but now that I have your attention, let's talk about the monster in each of our lives that is – stress. Stress, as defined by Webster, is mental or physical tension or strain, urgency or pressure.

Each of us must deal with stress from one vantage point or another. Perhaps, issues at work or among friends have given you anxiety. Money, marriage, and family can each add to the daily pressures of life. Granted, each category brings its own unique brand of tension. For instance, a disagreement in work may not merit the same strain as a miscommunication in marriage.

As we deal with stress in our lives, we must separate every situation into two categories: ourselves and the variable. In this case, the variable is whatever situation that causes anxiety. For instance, if work is stressing you out, then work is the variable. When we review everything that bothers us, we are left with a series of questions. First, "Why is this bothering me?" Second, "Is this even worth bothering me?" Finally, "What can I do about it?"

Think about this, how many times have you snapped at someone or been angry at a very small matter, fully knowing it was something else that was bothering you? When stress piles up in life, it is common to become overwhelmed, often seeing the world through a lens of stress as opposed to isolating the variable that is bringing anxiety into your life. In other words, if we do not handle stress accordingly, we can be prone to taking our frustrations out on someone else.

So, let us ask the all important question, "Why is this bothering me?" Stress can teach us about ourselves. When we examine what is eating at us, we can then understand why it burdens us in the first place. For instance, if something is bothering you at work, is it that one specific problem, or are you questioning your calling and purpose on a much larger scale, and the stress is only evidenced in the small stuff?

The next question is the difficult one for you and I to accept, "Is this even worth bothering me?" This question can be answered two ways. First, yes, any problem that brings stress into your life is worthy of merit. We become stressed and feel anxiety when our brain reviews a situation and cautions our body that something is wrong, and we need to address the given situation.

Yet, there is another explanation you or I may not like to hear. Nothing should stress us out. Consider this, stress is the perfect example of the conflict between our flesh and our spirit. Jesus tells us over and over again that He is in control. In Matthew 6:19 – 34, He cautions against building treasures and worrying. Both are temporary, and in the grand scheme of life, Christ is in control. Since Christ is in control, we must trust that He is greater than whatever could stress us out. Additionally, whatever matters may indeed stress us out, each qualify as worthy of being dropped at the foot of the cross for Christ to address and not you or I.

Consider this: our lives are not our own. We were bought at a price. You and I belong to Christ. As Christians, we believe that Christ truly is in control of our lives. If He is in control of our lives, then by extension, He is qualified to deal with our stress.

You see, it is the last question, "What can I do about it?" that is the most important to ask. When we are confronted with a situation that is beyond our control, we must realize that we simply cannot handle it on our own. This is where our pride must stand down and our submissive nature must stand tall. More common than we care to admit, we readily surrender ourselves to anxiety, assuming that alone we must handle our stress. Before long, we find ourselves overwhelmed, swimming in an ocean of chaos, cut off from hope.

This is one of humanity's greatest failures: pride. It is because of pride we say in our hearts, "I can do this on my own." It is because of pride, we push God aside, attempting to accomplish our own vain pursuit of life without Him, and wondering why it is we find ourselves overwhelmed. Yet, at any moment we can stop, take a deep breath, and turn over any conceivable issue to Christ, who is more than capable to address our problems. There is wisdom in his words, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

So, the next time you feel overwhelmed – stop, breathe, and let go. You'll find that stress can indeed be pleasant and tranquil.

Trevor Littleton is the lead minister of Millersburg Christian Church.


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