Titus 2 Men And Women

Stress is a part of our lives and we must all learn to deal with it or let it make us seriously ill. If I could I would give those of you who are like me, visual, a graphic/word-picture of stress. What would it be? Maybe that inflating head on those Alka-Seltzer commercials.

God gave us an example of stress-management in Mark 6:31-32. Matthew Henry’s Commentary: “The return to Christ of the apostles whom he had sent forth in Mark 6:7 to preach, and work miracles. They had dispersed themselves into several quarters of the country for some time, but when they had made good their several appointments, by consent they gathered themselves together, to compare notes, and came to Jesus, the center of their unity, to give him an account of what they had done pursuant to their commission:…. The tender care Christ took for their repose, after the fatigue they had (Mark 6:31); He said unto them, perceiving them to be almost spent, and out of breath,” “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.” 

They didn’t have a long rest and refresh time for the people followed them and gathered with them on the other side of the lake. But I’m sure they were able to sit and eat and at least take a power nap. 

Me included, Christians seem to think we are invincible if we are living our lives serving God for His glory. I don’t know if we think we are stronger than Jesus and the apostles who needed to get away from people and rest or we just ignore our needs. I believe the latter is true; we ignore ourselves—our physical needs—until we collapse in fatigue or illness or both. And then what are we too often quick to do? Blame our compromised condition on Satan!

Surprise! We are human with human needs of rest, good earthly and spiritual food, and enjoyment of all things God has provided for our pleasure. We are not robots who only need to be oiled and polished. Let us remind ourselves first, and then those around us, that we are not stronger than our Lord and the apostles and to do our best we MUST rest and refresh ourselves.

The following was sent to me by a friend. I don’t know the author but it put stress-management into perspective for me.

“Jesus experienced enormous stress and pressure, yet it didn’t seem to disturb his peace of mind. In spite of opposition, constant demands, and little privacy, his life reflected a calm sense of balance. 

What was his secret? 

Identification – Know who you are (John 8:12)
Eighteen times Jesus publicly defined himself. There was no doubt in his mind as to who he was. If you are unsure of your identity, you’ll allow others to pressure you into their molds. Trying to be someone you’re not causes stress!

Dedication – Know Who you want to please (John 5:30)
You can’t please everyone. Even God can’t! Just about the time you get “Crowd A” happy, then “Crowd B” will be upset with you. Jesus never let the fear of rejection manipulate him. No one can pressure you without your permission.

Organization – Set clear goals (John 8:14)
Jesus said, I know where I came from and where I am going. Preparation prevents pressure, but procrastination produces it. You work by either priorities or pressures.

Concentration – Focus on one thing at a time (Luke 4:42-44)
You can’t chase two rabbits at the same time! Jesus knew how to handle interruptions without being distracted from his primary goal. 

Delegation – Don’t try to do everything yourself (Mark 3:14)
We get tense when we feel it all depends on us. Jesus enlisted twelve disciples. Don’t allow perfectionism, or the fear that others may do a better job, to keep you from involving others in the task.

Meditation – Make a habit of prayer (Mark 1:35)
No matter how busy Jesus got, he found time to get alone to pray everyday. A daily quiet time is a great stress decompression chamber. Use this time to talk to God about your pressures and problems, evaluate your priorities, and discover the rules for successful living by reading the Bible. 

Relaxation – Take time to enjoy life (Mark 6:30-31)
Balance is the key to stress management. Work must be balanced with fun

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