How Are You Defining Stress?
April is recognized as Stress Awareness Month! According to The American Institute of Stress:
About 33 percent of people report feeling extreme stress
77 percent of people experience stress that affects their physical health
73 percent of people have stress that impacts their mental health
48 percent of people have trouble sleeping because of stress
Statistically, people between the ages of 25 and 64 have a higher risk of dying from an overdose than a traffic accident
Who would have known that me writing an article in regards to stress awareness would be in the middle of a pandemic?
I did not but God was up to something when he gave me the idea. I am sure there is something about this pandemic that has caused us to stress even a little, it has touched all of our lives in some way, shape or form. I remember being in Houston and the news announced that the cities of Houston and Dallas bars, restaurants, etc will be shutting down by a certain time and we were in the store getting a few things. I looked around at the shelves and got a little panicked when I went to the meat aisle and saw that they had two packages and I picked one of the two up and told my myself we may need this just in case and as I walked I found Ed and asked him did we need the meat (it wasn't even meat that we typically eat) he said no, but the next set of words he told me relieved my stress, he said "we are not going to get caught up in stressing and picking up things just because the shelf is empty, " for me that meant we will not buy from a place of fear, we will buy from a place of abundance, the thing is we did not need the meat our refrigerator was packed. I put the meat back and walked away to get me some snacks!
Stress has a way of planting its seed in our lives and life circumstances can have its way of watering the seed of stress causing it to grow and fester in our hearts, minds, homes and overall purpose that God has positioned us for.
As I was studying the hashtag Stress on Instagram I found this:
Someone
Trying To
Repair
Every
Situation
Solo
STRESS
I want to redefine STRESS as:
Someone
Trusting God To
Repair
Every
Situation On His Own
Schedule
James 1:2-4
2 Dear brothers and sisters,[a] when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
In this blog, I want to assure you that the things we face are tests that build our endurance. This is a great opportunity for us to grow in our relationship with God. I want to encourage you not to go at this life alone because you don't have to go at it alone, you are not the only business person trying to figure out how your business will survive, you are not the only parent that is working from home with kids, you are not the only person that is or has been laid off, you are not the only person trying to figure out how to heal from a heartbreak.
Find accountability to assist you in relieving the stress (friend, family, Facebook group, mentor, I'm available, don't be afraid to hit me up )
Jesus had 12, I'm not telling you to get 12, I am telling you is that we should follow his example, here are some questions and scriptures we can reflect on:
Luke 6:12-16 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
The Twelve Apostles
12 During those days he went out to the mountain to pray and spent all night in prayer to God.
How are you spending time with God to make sure he brings clarity and understanding to you, your community and the situation?
If God sends you someone are you willing to be open and allow them into your most vulnerable places?
13 When daylight came, he summoned his disciples, and he chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles: 14 Simon, whom he also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; 15 Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
These are men that were handpicked by Jesus, they would travel with him, learn from him and be granted special authority to share in the responsibility of proclaiming his kingdom message (Tony Evans Bible Commentary)
Who are the people that are within your community?
Have you reached out to them for help during this time?
Kings and Queens we don't have to go at this solo, identify your community, be open to the community that God gives you, walk-in fellowship and accountability with your community and you will find peace in knowing that your stress does not have to manage you but you God and the people he's instructed to walk through life with can fight it together.
Remember we will trust God on his schedule even if it does not align with ours.