As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.-II Samuel 22:31
If ever we lived in a stressful world that time is now. People have more ways of relaxing and we have at our disposal more time-saving devices, and yet we remain one of the most over worked, stressed out, depressed, and tense societies that ever lived. You are probably stressed out, you know people who are, or you encounter people who are stressed out. Part of the problem is that people can get so busy and their schedules so full that they work in everything except a relationship with God. How is it that we can make time for everything except spending time alone with the Lord? That isn’t just an important part of our daily lives; it’s the most important part of our daily lives. And yet that personal time with Christ is so often neglected.
If I was giving out advice today on how to better handle stress it would begin with this: Make prayer and personal Bible study a top priority. Don’t start your day without it. Having a growing and vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ is the best stress reliever we can have, for we are not carrying the burdens of life all alone, we have the Lord to strengthen and help us. I read recently some signs that a person is prone to stress:
2. First to arrive, last to leave.
3. Always in a hurry.
4. Makes no plan for relaxation.
5. Feels guilty about doing anything other than work.
6. Sees unforeseen problem as a setback or disaster.
7. Is always thinking about several other things when working.
8. Feels need to be recognized and overextends because of this.
(From Leadership, V. 1, #3, p. 99)
