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Stressed out?We all have an opinion on stress, because, as human beings, we have all been there. Personally, I tend to think of stress as having two components. Firstly, we have external pressure(s). These are as varied as we are individuals and at any one time we may be struggling with family illness or trouble with the neighbours. Humans are extraordinarily resilient to external pressures and we can all cope with a certain amount of stress before it becomes too much. Some people are more resilient than others. In fact, a certain amount of stress is needed in our lives to get us moving in the morning and out of the house! The second component is our personal response. If the pressure increases or continues over a long period, we reach a threshold beyond which we cope less well. The coiled spring is a good analogy here to explain what happens at this stage. If you stretch a spring a short way, it will return back to its original shape. Imagine the amount of stretch representing the amount of pressure we are under. As the pressure increases, we are able to return to our normal selves once it eases for a short time. However, there comes a point where, like the spring, we become stretched too much and when the pressure relents we are unable to spring back to how we were. Things have become too much and stress starts to damage us and cause ill effects. Symptoms of stressI meet many people with symptoms of stress. Their complaints vary immensely and sometimes they find it difficult to accept that stress is the cause. ‘I’m not stressed!’ they say. It’s only when they take you through the events in their lives over the past three months that you realise that they have been burning the candle at both ends and the pressure has become too much. With stress, symptoms are as varied as the triggers and commonly include physical symptoms (headaches, poor sleep) and emotional complaints such as irritability and tearfulness. Prolonged stress can lead to burnout. Not immuneChristians are not immune from stress. It’s amazing how many people think that they are! Stress can isolate us and lead us to have unhelpful thoughts: ‘If I was a better Christian, I wouldn’t be in this mess!’ We know that God will help us through difficult times but that doesn’t stop us from feeling the pressure. We get caught up in the hive of activity surrounding church, home group, service and hospitality. We find it difficult to say no and feel that if we decline to help the job won’t get done. There are many examples of people under stress in the Bible. Of particular notice here is the comparison between David and Saul in 1 Samuel. Saul was anointed by Samuel and became king over Israel. In 1 Samuel 13, Saul and his son Jonathan attacked their enemies, the Philistines (vv.3-4). The Philistines responded by assembling a huge army which dwarfed that of Saul’s (v.5). His army started to scatter and Saul became scared (vv.6-7), and panicked (vv.8-13). In God’s strengthDavid was only a young man when he faced the Philistine Goliath (1 Samuel 17). This huge warrior had been taunting the Israelite army for 40 days, daring them to send a man to fight him (v.16). There was much at stake. Should Goliath win; the Philistines would rule over the Israelites. David acknowledged that he would not beat him without the Lord’s help and that he would fight him in the Lord’s name (vv.45-47). He killed him with a single stone. Both men were under considerable stress in these situations. However. one turned to the Lord for help and the other went alone in his own strength. The ultimate example of a person under great stress in the Bible is Jesus. Consider the example of Gethsemane. As Jesus faces death his feelings overwhelm him with sorrow (Matthew 26.37-38). He pleads with his Father to take the cup from him and then submits himself to God’s will (v.39). He is in anguish and sweat drips from him like drops of blood (Luke 22.44). Just prior to this event, Jesus had been sharing the Last Supper with his disciples. He already knew that he would be betrayed soon and that the betrayer was at the table with him (Luke 22.21, Matthew 26.21). Despite all this, he remained calm as he shared the Lord’s Supper with them. Valuable to GodWhat does Jesus say about dealing with stress? In Matthew 6 (vv.25-29,31-33), he offers comfort to those who are worried. Worry is a major part of stress. Jesus teaches that we are valuable to God and urges us to put our worldly worries aside and seek him first. When we do this, we shall receive his blessing. Later in Matthew, he extends a welcome to those who are weary and overwhelmed. ‘Come to me’, he says, ‘and I shall give you rest’ (Matthew 11.28). Furthermore, when we have come to him, he urges us to ‘take his yoke’ and ‘learn from him’ and rest our souls (v.29). Here we have this wonderful picture of unloading our worries at Jesus’s feet and allowing him to lead and guide us through our difficulties. GraceSo, when stressed and burdened, we should run to him and ask for his healing. We can take great comfort that Jesus knows only too well how we feel. He endured temptation (Matthew 4.1-11), torture and death. Through his death, he drew a line under our sins and forgave us, bringing us back into a relationship with God (1 Peter 3.18). If the cause of our stress is sin, we are forgiven and restored by his grace (Romans 3.24). What a fantastic privilege! Practical tips* Commit the situation to God and ask for his guidance and healing. Dr. Liz Croton, © Evangelicals Now - August 2007 |