Monday's Blessing
Philippians 4:6
"Do not be anxious about
anything, but in everything by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known to God."
Lately I've been inundated with stress and have been spending a majority of my time "chillin" as my doctor suggested. I had never thought that stress could become so affluent in my life as its talons pierced at my physical presence repeatedly. Being a Type A personality, and always managing to get everything done on time, I found it
increasingly harder to be unemployed. Nonetheless, I kept myself on a vigilant
routine so that I would not become idle, but found myself sick one day. I must
tell you, I never get sick, as I pride myself on healthy eating, exercise, and
yoga. But, some winter bug must have bitten, and I became increasingly ill as
time went on. To make matters worse, the increasing stress of day to day
joblessness, and financial doom hovering overhead, set my stress hormones in
full gear making it difficult for my body to heal itself. I felt myself
spiraling out of control wondering if I'd ever get on my feet again.
Thankfully, I am regaining a bit of health, but it has taken two months to enjoy
a walk in the sunshine again.
Due to this recent experience, I went searching for biblical verses on stress. I was amazed of how many verses are available in the good book that speak of the direct result of stress. Stress can rip your life wide open leaving little opportunity of recourse. The sad part being that you may not know how much stress you are under until you mentally or physically break. We all like to believe we have it all together. That somehow tomorrow will bring an end to this misery. But, at times, we don't know how much toil stress is taking on our daily jaunts. Unfortunately, as much as we try to
hinder its progress, it may not end the way we planned. Philippians states that
God does not want us to feel anxious. Imagine! Forget the stress, stress comes
after being anxious. God doesn't want us to even feel anxiousness! This verse
tells us to give thanks for what we have and go hand all else over to God. Just
think, it we automatically went into prayer every time we were anxious, we'd
never get stressed as long as your faith is cemented knowing God will take care
of our burdens. Every time you feel a bit anxious, stop in prayer, and ask God
to give you peace. Don't let that anxious seed grow into that massive tree of
stress.
Daily Guidance
1. As soon as you feel anxious, spend time in prayer this week. Give gratitude for all your blessings, and ask the Lord for peace.
2. Are you nuturing yourself? Make time for friends. Call a friend
when you begin to feel pressured. At times just releasing this pressure allows
you time to regroup and make better decisions.
3. Continue reading your Bible this week. Look for passages of dealing with stress. Write those down that have meaning to you. Keep them close to you and refer to them often this week.
4. Stress kills and is number one in causing disease. If you feel
you can't make peaceful steps by yourself, it is time to make an appointment
with a therapist. Having a third party listen can make all the
difference.
5. Spend time outdoors this week. Being with nature makes you
feel at peace. If you live in a warm climate, try lying outdoors for an hour.
The sun rejuvenates your well-being.
Philippians 4:6
"Do not be anxious about
anything, but in everything by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known to God."
Lately I've been inundated with stress and have been spending a majority of my time "chillin" as my doctor suggested. I had never thought that stress could become so affluent in my life as its talons pierced at my physical presence repeatedly. Being a Type A personality, and always managing to get everything done on time, I found it
increasingly harder to be unemployed. Nonetheless, I kept myself on a vigilant
routine so that I would not become idle, but found myself sick one day. I must
tell you, I never get sick, as I pride myself on healthy eating, exercise, and
yoga. But, some winter bug must have bitten, and I became increasingly ill as
time went on. To make matters worse, the increasing stress of day to day
joblessness, and financial doom hovering overhead, set my stress hormones in
full gear making it difficult for my body to heal itself. I felt myself
spiraling out of control wondering if I'd ever get on my feet again.
Thankfully, I am regaining a bit of health, but it has taken two months to enjoy
a walk in the sunshine again.
Due to this recent experience, I went searching for biblical verses on stress. I was amazed of how many verses are available in the good book that speak of the direct result of stress. Stress can rip your life wide open leaving little opportunity of recourse. The sad part being that you may not know how much stress you are under until you mentally or physically break. We all like to believe we have it all together. That somehow tomorrow will bring an end to this misery. But, at times, we don't know how much toil stress is taking on our daily jaunts. Unfortunately, as much as we try to
hinder its progress, it may not end the way we planned. Philippians states that
God does not want us to feel anxious. Imagine! Forget the stress, stress comes
after being anxious. God doesn't want us to even feel anxiousness! This verse
tells us to give thanks for what we have and go hand all else over to God. Just
think, it we automatically went into prayer every time we were anxious, we'd
never get stressed as long as your faith is cemented knowing God will take care
of our burdens. Every time you feel a bit anxious, stop in prayer, and ask God
to give you peace. Don't let that anxious seed grow into that massive tree of
stress.
Daily Guidance
1. As soon as you feel anxious, spend time in prayer this week. Give gratitude for all your blessings, and ask the Lord for peace.
2. Are you nuturing yourself? Make time for friends. Call a friend
when you begin to feel pressured. At times just releasing this pressure allows
you time to regroup and make better decisions.
3. Continue reading your Bible this week. Look for passages of dealing with stress. Write those down that have meaning to you. Keep them close to you and refer to them often this week.
4. Stress kills and is number one in causing disease. If you feel
you can't make peaceful steps by yourself, it is time to make an appointment
with a therapist. Having a third party listen can make all the
difference.
5. Spend time outdoors this week. Being with nature makes you
feel at peace. If you live in a warm climate, try lying outdoors for an hour.
The sun rejuvenates your well-being.
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