What do I do when life feels overwhelming and out of control? The first step is to cry out, "Abba, Father." It's what a child does when he can't handle something. And our Father loves for us to come to him in our need.
Let's review:
1. We can't bear the weight of our own stress, problems, and fears..
2. Jesus can.
3. So, cast your anxiety on him (1 Peter 5:7). The effort is in the casting.
I have been reading a book by Dr. Archibald D. Hart, entitled, The Hidden Link Between Adrenaline and Stress. His thesis is that the adrenaline hormone is released by stress, which if allowed to continue flowing, creates "stress damage" upon the body, especially on the heart. He calls this negative impact "hurry sickness." It's a scientific fact that stress kills. So if your life sometimes feels like you are on a runaway train bound for a crash, join the club. Now, the first motion on the floor is to slow that train down! Great idea, but how? Hart says that it will take an intentional effort to put on the brakes by creating margins in life and taking time to recover from stressful events. It is both a calendar issue and heart issue. It also is an addiction issue. He says that many Western folks are acutally addicted to adrenaline arousal. That is why we type-a personality folks have trouble just being rather than doing. So, I'm looking forward to his next chapters on the importance of sleep (he says the human body needs an average of nine hours of sleep a night to remain at full functionality) and rest. He has several relaxation techniques that I plan on perfecting. :) So, if you want to join the "I'm a trainwreck waiting to happen" club, hop on board! But let's slow train down so that we can really live, work and play in a way that is both healthy and productive.
Do you have any ideas for the club? Feel free to share them below.
I received an email from a friend the other day that proposed a prescription for stress-free living. It's not a remedy that we'll find in a pill. He said that the key to the stress-free life is the faith-filled life. Meaning, if I were to live out practically what I confess theologically about God, then I could live like a child with the ultimate in trustworthy Fathers. As stress-free as a three-year-old asleep in his carseat in the back of the van.
The truth is that my Father is sovereign over all people and events, big and small. Not only is he ultimately in control of everything, he is good, kind, wise, and loving. His aim is to bless those who are his. He is a Father who "causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). I know that I have been called, and I really do want to love him. So, the issue may be how I define what is good—what blessing is. Is my comfort and health the great good? Is wealth the ultimate blessing? Is it popularity and success? I don't think so. The ultimate good probably is knowing that which is ultimately most satisfying for the human soul, which is knowing this Father/God in a personal, intimate way, trusting his plan, resting in his love, and leaning on his grace. Always, like breathing.
This does not mean that I quit my job or stop paying my bills. It means that, as I work, lead my family, pay bills, replace light bulbs, fix flat tires and deal with other frustrations of sin in my life and in the world around me, that I am continually talking to him and listening to him, consciously aware of my need, his presence, his power and his purpose (granted, a purpose that is beyond my understanding, which is another reason to trust without having to know results). So I ask for help a lot. I go to him with my fears and tears. I make much of him, living as a Jesus-dependent in every area of my life, seeking the fullness of his Spirit to know God as Abba and experience his fruit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, etc.).
But is the stress-free life really possible? In theory, yes. If only I will become a child. In those moments, stress dissipates. So, when my body begins showing signs of stress, fear and anxiety, I need to know that I am not condmened. Those symptoms are functioning like the law, driving me to Jesus for my justification, hope and peace. Stress is saying, "you are trying to hard. You are playing God. It's time to cry out, 'Abba, Father,' and reorient yourself to the truth of the gospel." Seen from that perspective, I can affirm that my Father does indeed cause all things to work for good—even stress. To make me a child again. So that I can rest in the back of the van.
What do I do when life feels overwhelming and out of control? How about stop trying to play Atlas, and start crying out, "Abba, Father." It's what a child does. And the Father loves for us to come to him in our need.
So let's review:
1. I can't bear the weight of the world, or even my own problems.
2. Jesus can.
3. So, cast your anxiety on him (1 Peter 5:7). The effort is in the casting— casting the burden off of self and onto him, whether sin or circumstance.
Will you do the hard work of casting with me today?
