“You only need to remain calm; the LORD will fight for you.” – Exodus 14:14 (NCV)
Are you weary? Have the times been rough? Is the stress getting to you? Have you tried to remain calm? Has God fought for you before? Do you believe that God will fight for you again?
The Associated Press just wrote an article about a study which found that the youth of today (High School and College students) are five times more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression than youth of the Great Depression Era. Apparently today’s youth have such high expectations for success that the stress to meet those expectations is overwhelming. Looking out at things I am sure that it is not just the youth.
Our expectations for success say that we should each be rich, all have whatever we want whenever we want, have big homes, drive big cars, and all the rest. When these grandiose expectations are not met our existence seems shattered, and then we try to cope with our shattered dreams. Today it is harder to cope than ever before because God is so rarely kept at the forefront of our hearts and minds. We prefer to blame than to pray. We would rather be consumed in anger than ask for peace. We would assume sit in depression than seek the only path to joy.
It is not the success that culture prescribes that promises us peace, it is Jesus Christ who promises us peace, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” It was this promise that let Paul joyously proclaim, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus,” even as he sat in prison. And it was this promise of God’s that let Moses confidently say to a nervous nation, “You only need to remain calm; the LORD will fight for you,” as they saw all the might of Egypt descend upon them.
Putting our faith in Jesus means that we stop putting faith in the promises of the world. The higher rates of anxiety and depression are reason enough to turn to Jesus. We are not meant to go through life scared and alone, stressing out about empty promises that we cannot control. God still runs after us offering a new life, a different life, and a life where we can remain calm and know that somehow, someway God is control and fighting for us. Today let us pray for that life!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Showing posts with label stress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stress. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
When Stress Melts Away
Do not worry about anything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7 (NRSV)
What do you worry about? Have you tried giving those worries to God? Have you experienced the peace of God? Does it surpass all understanding? Who have you met who lives with this peace? What does it mean to have a heart and mind guarded in Christ Jesus?
I read that recent studies have demonstrated stress changes our brain chemistry and our behavior. Those who are “always” stressed are prone to habitat formation. By forming routines and habits we attempt to put ourselves on automatic pilot, and in that way the hope is that we can better focus on the crisis at hand. However, what is actually happening is our brain is rewired in ways that keep us stressed. The automatic pilot does not help stress go away, it keeps us stressed out. Constant stress has also shown to hurt our immune systems, raise blood pressure, stiffen arteries, and make us miserable among other things.
Thankfully, according to the study, such changes in the brain are reversible. What does it take to change it back to normal? Relaxing.
One of the finest gifts of prayer is its ability to help us relax, to exist in the moment with our God who is in control. When we are on autopilot we are always trying to stay one step ahead, to figure out what comes next, and the consequence of that is stress and worry. Also it seems autopilot has no room for prayer. Jesus said, “You cannot add anytime to your life by worrying about it,” and maybe it is time we start believing him! Life is a precious gift. By living we get to experience love and beauty, friendship and nature, sunrises and thunder storms, the feel of water hitting our bare skin and a well needed hug, even in the midst of pain and strife. Think of all the reasons to pray to God with thanksgiving right now. Now pray with that thanksgiving, and perhaps you may feel the peace which surpasses all understanding as the stress melts away.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What do you worry about? Have you tried giving those worries to God? Have you experienced the peace of God? Does it surpass all understanding? Who have you met who lives with this peace? What does it mean to have a heart and mind guarded in Christ Jesus?
I read that recent studies have demonstrated stress changes our brain chemistry and our behavior. Those who are “always” stressed are prone to habitat formation. By forming routines and habits we attempt to put ourselves on automatic pilot, and in that way the hope is that we can better focus on the crisis at hand. However, what is actually happening is our brain is rewired in ways that keep us stressed. The automatic pilot does not help stress go away, it keeps us stressed out. Constant stress has also shown to hurt our immune systems, raise blood pressure, stiffen arteries, and make us miserable among other things.
Thankfully, according to the study, such changes in the brain are reversible. What does it take to change it back to normal? Relaxing.
One of the finest gifts of prayer is its ability to help us relax, to exist in the moment with our God who is in control. When we are on autopilot we are always trying to stay one step ahead, to figure out what comes next, and the consequence of that is stress and worry. Also it seems autopilot has no room for prayer. Jesus said, “You cannot add anytime to your life by worrying about it,” and maybe it is time we start believing him! Life is a precious gift. By living we get to experience love and beauty, friendship and nature, sunrises and thunder storms, the feel of water hitting our bare skin and a well needed hug, even in the midst of pain and strife. Think of all the reasons to pray to God with thanksgiving right now. Now pray with that thanksgiving, and perhaps you may feel the peace which surpasses all understanding as the stress melts away.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
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