October 2007 - "Too Blessed to be Stressed!"

Have you ever seen the bumper sticker which reads ' Too blessed to be stressed' ? I see it fairly often in my travels around the city and there are times when it makes me feel downright guilty because I do experience stress throughout the week. I am all for counting our blessings and trying to focus on the positives aspects of our daily walk though this life, but there are times when we are stressed. Even looking in the Bible, I find that many important people experienced stress. Take Job for example. Now, he was truly blessed in many ways but when his time for testing came and everything was lost, I believe that Job felt stress. He even experienced depression on top of his physical ailments and grief.

I believe that Job's story serves to show us that life is difficult, usually in ways that we do not expect. What we need to do to manage stress as it comes upon us is to be prepared. While we cannot control or predict what may happen, we can take care of ourselves so that our bodies, minds, and souls are as strong as possible. This may include daily quiet time (for prayer, meditation, relaxation) to connect to our souls. A few minutes is all it takes to quiet the chaos in our minds. Some physical exercise serves to help release tension and impurities from our bodies. Taking a short walk, stretching into a few yoga poses help us to feel what's happening in our bodies. We also benefit from mental exercise. Trying a crossword puzzle, memorizing a Bible verse, reading something a little difficult or different all help to stretch our mental muscles.

So, I encourage each of you to get stronger so that you are ready for the next challenge. Remember, we are on the battlefield of life. Stress is the test to let you know how you are bearing up. We're all in this together.

Blessings to you,

Jacqui