Stressed Beyond Belief

Stressed. Anxious. Worried. Not enough time. Not enough energy. Not enough...

Just fill in the blank with what you consider to be your maxim of stress.

A laughable phrase that I often share to lighten the mood of the stressed out type-A's in my life is "Why do today what you can put off 'til tomorrow!" A far cry from the age-old, "Why put off 'til tomorrow what you can do today!"

In this microwave world of immediacy, there's this problem; you CAN'T do everything today. Deadlines. Demands. Delusional thinking that it all must be done right now. The pressure builds until the crockpot of our body, mind, and emotions eventually implode.

Why?

Because we live in a world where as one guy said, "Life is like Twitter, we show the best and hide the rest!" In an effort to compete and comply with the world's demands we build our own little castles made of sand only to see them decimated under the weight of such fragile self-efficacy.

So what causes the stress that is ripping apart the fabric of human design? It is ultimately attached to a lack of control. Recognizing our own inabilities. Experiencing the frustrations of unmet expectations by others. Feeling the vulnerability caused by the strain of our own environments.

And where do we find the remedy for dealing with such demands of worry, stress, and anxiety? In short, Jesus. But we all know it's easier said than done when high levels of stress sabotage what we know to be true; when we are stressed beyond belief.

Change what you can; accept what you can't. How well we adapt to the various seasons of life will be the seed bearing the fruit of making us better or bitter.

See the immediate in light of the ultimate. Recognize that our decisions in these seasons of life will reflect foolishness or maturity; a progression of worry or peace.

Remember the Master is always displaying a masterpiece. These moments of stress are really pivotal moments to lean more directly into the Potter's wheel of refining a complexion of faith in us.

Jesus made these principles clear in the Sermon on the Mount as He spoke to the crowd by the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 6:25-33). Not even the wisest and richest in the world can make guarantees and provisions like that of the Lord. Rightly seeking the kingdom of God will put everything else in perspective; helping us to see that worrying only distracts us from seeing the change Christ intends to make in us.

Oh Taste and See

If you've ever had a savory and appetizing meal you know how difficult it is to settle for its substitute. It's hard to outdo the Chic-Fil-A chicken sandwich. There are people who swear by the Brazilian steaks of Fogo de Chao. Pick your choice of cuisine; Italian, Mexican, Japanese, or seafood restaurants. Replicas, knock-offs, and generic brands will never match the flavor of such insatiable desire.

So what do you do when your appetite is using your stomach as a punch bag for a savory meal?

Remember the children of Israel starving in the wilderness during the exodus and God showed up and fed them manna from heaven (Exodus 16)? How about the Hebrew boys that chose vegetables and water instead of the king's choice foods (Daniel 1)? Or that time Jesus attended the wedding feast and turned water into wine (John 2)? Who could forget when Jesus fed the multitude with five loaves and two fish (John 6)?

Just taking a glance at those stories, here's what I realized; God used ordinary people in ordinary places to do extraordinary miracles to provide hope and reason to simply taste His goodness.

"O taste and see that the Lord is good." This passage in Psalm 34:8 describes the essence of tasting true life that can only be found by faith in Him alone.

In Him we find pleasure for He is good. In Him we find protection for He is our refuge. In Him we find provision for there is no want. In Him we find peace for He calms our fear of lack. In Him we find promise for He will remain faithful.

Our greatest satisfaction in Jesus will only come when our deepest desperation is for Him. If Jesus is one of many treasures, He will really be no treasure at all. We often try to remedy the tastes of our desires in life with generic substitutes. Jesus will not allow Himself to be one of many ways to satisfy the longings of our soul.

Passing the taste-test of Jesus is to see that in Him we will not be found wanting. Tasting Jesus will fuse our God-given desires to His all-satisfying goodness of grace. If you're jumping from one substitute to the next looking for what will completely satisfy your thirst, look no further than Jesus Christ. He's been tried and found to be true. He's trustworthy and to be treasured above all others. "O taste and see that the Lord is good!"

 

It Will be My Joy to Say

Much of my life has been relatively easy. Comfortable. Convenient. Low risk. Not much sacrifice. But along the way, there have been moments where my faith has been tested. Where I've had to let wrestle the fleshly and spiritual parts of my being. And in those moments there has been an internal bleeding of the soul because of the declaration of war for my life; God's will or mine.

As a Christian for more than 25 years, I've heard (literally) hundreds of songs pertaining to faith and God. And of all the songs I've read, sang, or hummed, the most difficult has undoubtedly been, "It will be my joy to say 'Your will, Your way.'" (Lay Me Down - Chris Tomlin)

Some may wonder, "What's the big deal?" And, to be honest, that was me, at first. Just living in the moment of raised hands, mindlessly singing amid the smoke and lights filtering the room.

Here was my reality; my theology was colliding with my experience. When what seemed to be more overwhelming than the joy I thought God could bring I found myself singing the song in one breath and ultimately denying it in the next. In church. Lying in church. Talk about a hypocrite! And it was crushing me!

But somewhere along the way, I found the gem of God's relentless grace. I have seen God's unconditional love taking me through every season of life to make me more like His Son, and I know that He has the power to produce the joy that can only be experienced through knowing and doing His will.

Will we soon believe that joy, real joy, God-produced joy can be experienced in all seasons of life? Not until we realize that God is greater than our struggle. Greater than our past. Greater than all the blemishes we are trying to hide. Greater than our sin. Greater than the life we are trying to create for ourselves in our own strength. Greater than the grip of the lying, deceitful, God-opposing enemy who is offering the goods that many will settle for as a cheap substitute of God's grace and goodness.

If your season of life seems unbearable, if you're thinking about giving up, if you're questioning if this whole "God thing" is worth it, know that it's absolutely worth it to press on. Life will produce sorrow but joy will come with the morning (Ps 30:5). Life will make us weary but the joy of the Lord will be our strength (Neh 8:10). He will make a way for you to sing "It will be my joy to say Your will, Your way, Always!"