August 9, 2021 STRESS-FREE LIVING
Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Matthew 6:26-27 “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow or reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
Just the title of this posting may draw a reaction. Surely, stress is a part of life, right? I admit that the idea of living a stress-free life may sound like one of those ‘pipe dreams.’ I understand that jobs, relationships, health, and the world of politics can be a source of stress. However, in God’s word we discover that a stress-free is available to us. How we view stress and how we deal with stress reveals deep issues of our hearts; central to this issue is that of expectations and trust. Living stress-free does not mean a life free of challenges, difficulties and trials, and it does not mean that we have our heads buried in the sand. Our response to the potential stress-producers is the issue. I understand that a lot could be said about stress, but hopefully we can in a few sentences open the door to the possibility of living free of stress. (We all know the adverse effects of living under stress.) First, we need revelation in our hearts and the deepest part of our being that God IS OUR FATHER. When we come to know, not just in our mind, that God is our Father, we will trust Him. From the verses above, and many other verses, we know that our Father is our PROVIDER-He cares for us and will take care of us. So, trusting God, really trusting God, is key to being stress-free. Second, the expectations we have must be in keeping with the things of God. Having self-centered expectations leads to conflict and disappointment; expectations has to do with contentment. Perhaps it takes too much for us to be content. Paul said in Philippians 4:11-13 that he had learned to be content in all circumstances-that’s an amazing declaration. We must know that Christ is sufficient and He makes us sufficient for whatever we face. A lot of our stress is self-imposed. Becoming stress-free requires that we examine our hearts, our expectations, and our trust in God. There are many practical steps we can take in eliminating stress, such as living within our income, finding contentment with less, and perhaps lowering our expectations, listening to worship music, and etc. Find some simple things to do-go on a picnic, fly a kite-or whatever-you get the point. There is a lot said about the benefits of having goals, but goals can cause stress; let us be sure to set the right kind of goals. God invites us to make our request known to Him-but then we leave them with Him to answer in any way He chooses. I understand that I have jumped all around this subject and have not given three easy steps to stress-free living, but I want us to know that God does not want us living under stress; as our trust in Him grows, as we learn, as Paul did, to be content in all circumstances, as we rid ourselves of unhealthy and unrealistic expectations, and as we take practical steps to eliminate the stress producers, we will begin to experience a stress-free life! (We will face difficulties, but we can do so stress-free.)
Philippians 4:19 “And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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