Today you can find me over at LACED WITH GRACE! I have shared the following devo over there entitled "Stressed to the Max!" I hope you will be encouraged to know that God is in control ... even when you feel stressed out!
When I saw my friend today, I could tell immediately that she was stressed to the max! The stress could be seen in her face and when she opened her mouth, it could be heard in her voice. In the last 48 hours, one thing after another seemed to fall apart. The refrigerator broke, the cat tore up the screen for the screened in porch, outside window sills were rotten and under inspection – they crumbled and when the new washer and dryer were delivered, they were too big to fit in the counter space.
She was frazzled.
She was exhausted.
She had seen her limit.
She was stressed!
Stressful days like the one my friend had today, are an inevitable fact of modern life! We each have a choice to make when these stressful times come …how are we going to cope with these high demands?
“If my life is surrendered to God, all is well. Let me not grab it back, as though it were in a peril in His hand but would be safer in mine!” – ELISABETH ELLIOT
The best way to cope with stress in our life is by turning our days and even our moments over to God. Trying to grab the reins of our lives and proclaim that we are in charge is not only foolish but it is stressful. Whenever we impose our own wills upon our world – we invite stress into our lives … needlessly. But when we accept His will instead of our own, we will discover inner peace.
COLOSSIANS 3:15 ” And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”
Do you feel overwhelmed like my friend? Satan does some of his worst work on exhausted Christians when nerves are frayed and the mind is faint. Turn your concerns and your prayers over to God. Trust Him. Trust Him completely. Trust Him today. Trust Him always.
Like my friend, you will still have appliances break down and your house will still be in need of repairs … but the peace of God will allow you to rest easier. So rest easy.
You are precious.
ReplyDeleteThis is a timely post for me. My son Joe and his wife are going through soo many financial struggles and things just keep getting worse. I help where I can but it's like throwing money into a black hole. Meanwhile my dil is soo stressed that she is at the breaking point. She is not speaking to me as I told them I needed to take a break from the babysitting for a while as it is just soo much for me to cope with physically with my arthritis etc. If they don't have "free" day care then working for her is very limited which of course puts more strain on their already crumbling finances. I am not sure what to do. Life is hard. I am praying about what I should do. Not only to help, but with the anger (which I really think is just her desperate state) towards me. My son does not support this of course and yet he cannot control how his wife feels. He is in the middle and it is putting a strain on his marriage as well. Needless to say this is all very stressful for me. I have 3 other children, and 3 other grandkids and yet this family saps my energy and available finances more than the others all combined. It isn't right, and yet I am not sure what the answer is. And so I pray. I'd appreciate a prayer or two that I make the right decision. Thanks Laurie, and have a wonderful week-end. Hugs, Debbie
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing
ReplyDelete