Monday, August 7, 2017

Defeating stress .......... Parables 624

January 5, 1999

One brave Canadian couple allowed a television crew to follow their home renovation project. Like most renovations, theirs evolved into a bigger mess than they expected.

First, they thought they could live in it while the work was being done. They quickly realized this was impossible and rented a town house. As work progressed, so did unexpected extras and with them, difficult decisions. Some days, their contractors or sub-trades failed to show. Everything took longer than anyone planned. Deadlines moved back. The weather interfered. What else could go wrong?

Well, with December arriving, they realized their rented town house had no room for a Christmas tree. The family felt isolated. Then their landlord served notice. He had sold the place. In two weeks, they would have to move, but their house would not be finished for two months. Finally, the husband lost his job. On national television, the couple admitted that stress was putting a strain on their lives.

According to statistics, 60 per cent of Canadians experience a high level of stress at least once a week. Two out of ten are at their stress limit. This means if they needed to detangle several strings of tree lights, they would crack under the strain.

A certain amount of stress is important. Without it, we would not stand up straight and most people would never get out of bed in the morning. However, unwanted circumstances and difficult relationships produce an inner resistance that is unwanted and unhealthy.

How can we manage stress? We could avoid stressful situations. Consider the couple with the renovation project. As they fear losing their home, they admit that instead of letting this renovation project take over their lives, leaving it the way it was would have been easier.

We could also reduce stress in some way. If the man could find a new job or the contractors could work overtime, perhaps that would reduce their stress. Others reduce stress by taking a holiday, enjoying a hobby, even turning to drugs (prescribed or otherwise) and alcohol.

How did Jesus manage stress? There is no doubt He experienced situations that were stressful. Imagine being on a small fishing boat in a terrible storm with twelve terrified men. Imagine being pressured all day long, day after day, by people wanting you to do something for them. Imagine being rejected by the very people you came to help and eventually being tried and convicted for something that was not a crime.

Jesus had two things going for Him. He knew that His Father in heaven was sovereign over everything. That is, God did not necessarily instigate any of these situations against His Son but He could stop them if He wanted to. Jesus knew who was in control.

He also knew that people would be cruel and mean. While rejection and harsh treatment do not feel good, this never surprised Him. I know that much of my stress comes from thoughtless or unkind actions that I did not expect.

The Bible says that Lord took a different attitude than we do toward stressful situations and harsh treatment. A passage in 1 Peter talks about how we should react to unfair treatment and says of Jesus, “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”

Jesus did not welcome the stress curves thrown at Him. However, instead of meeting them with inner resistance or any form of retaliation, He trusted God. By yielding to the things that threatened Him and knowing God would use them into good, He defeated their power over Him.

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