Want Less Stress? Be Still...
We certainly like to tell each other how busy our lives are. Probably 75 percent of each day is filled with complaints about our various sources of stress. Recently, I was talking to my friend about the hectic day I was facing, and I changed the subject because I was tired of thinking about the ensuing stress. I then realized when someone asked me how I was, my frequent reply was, “Busy as always!” This made me wonder …what causes us to be constantly busy and stressed, and how can we eliminate it? Surely, if we must have so many activities and responsibilities throughout the year, there is a way to manage and not live with perpetual stress.
Distraction from God’s goodness and his will makes it easy for our anxieties to overwhelm us. To manage our stress, we prioritize and balance our activities as well as we can, but we are constantly moving and thinking and worrying. Even in my prayers, I persistently asked for help to pass the next of innumerable hurdles. This drew my focus away from God, and suddenly my obstacles seemed insurmountable. When I thought I was working as hard as possible and I still couldn’t keep my head above water, I wanted to give up more than anything.
Psalm 46:11 advises us to “Be still and know that I am God!” It had been a while since I last stopped everything to be concerned with only God. When I finally took the time to re-center my life on God, my stress dissipated. There is a distinct difference between including God in our lives and focusing on him. Simply including him is not enough. I decided that God matters most to me, and this decision has enabled me to approach each long day with him at the forefront. English projects, Calculus tests, and late nights no longer exhaust my last reserves of motivation. Now I am more motivated because I see the love in my life, and I am grateful for the opportunities I have. Everything that equates to stress for me is a blessing many others must fight to receive.
Every time I review my to-do list and impending deadlines, I struggle to choose God over the ever-tempting complaints and stress. But every time I choose God, I am rewarded by more relaxed and productive evenings, even if they extend longer into the night than I would prefer. I am heartened when I remember the verse, “Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials” (James 1:2). God is my strength, and when I live for him, I can appreciate and enjoy the tasks set before me.
