Stress Management: God's Gift of Insight - Part 3

Have you wondered how children growing up in the same home can turn out so differently? Even when troubled families expose children to chaos and  violence, some manage to sidestep the dysfunction to establish successful lives. They have unique insight on how to avoid enmeshments that leave others in a state of hopelessness.

Gaining insight is a lifetime endeavor and becomes a lifeline for every stage of life. A man described how his eighty-year-old father had keen insight for managing the issues and stress of aging. Insight enables a person to withstand the turbulence and unpredictability of life. Insight builds competence for asking difficult questions and accepting hard answers.

One important insight is knowing God gives us peace when the stressors of life could be overwhelming. Proverbs points out the way. "Follow the steps of the godly and stay on the right path, for only the righteous enjoy life to the fullest." So search for godly role models and remember, Jesus challenges us to come and learn from him.  

Resisting Stress: God Empowers - Part 1

The word stress can be defined differently for anyone managing a difficult situation. "I'm stressing," is a negative expression known to everyone who believes stress is undesirable; yet without stress there would be limited motivation to make needed and necessary changes. Stress challenges us to reach outward and inward for solutions to bad situations.

While it's true that stress can be overwhelming, it doesn't have to be disastrous. If your attitude encourages surrender and defeat, then stress can be devastating. It's your attitude that supports the will to challenge difficult situations. The readiness to challenge and change situations determines the negative or positive influence stress has on your life.

When Jesus called his disciples, he endowed them with resilience that made it possible to challenge and change what they previously believed was impossible to do. When troubles came, their faith prevented stress from becoming overwhelming. They believed Christ Jesus was on their side and was the source of their empowerment. This is what he offers to you.