Articles
Let's Ease the Pressure a Bit
Let’s Ease the Pressure a Bit
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” - Philippians 4:6
If I gave you two minutes you could come up with a list of everyday stresses what would fill up half a sheet of notebook paper. Day to day pressures can wear us down into a predictable sequence of events.
First, we try to accomplish too much in one day and end up neglecting our essential priorities. When people try to squeeze too many activities into 24 hours, something has to give. What most often is pushed aside is our relationship with God or the time we need to put into developing a quality relationship with our spouse and children.
Second, we are not equipped to handle the conflicting problems which inevitably occur. As a result, we have mastered the art of putting on a happy face and appearing spiritual. If you put those same people back in their house, they let down their guard and take out their frustrations on the people who mean the most to them.
Third, since we cannot seem to handle these relationship problems that develop because of our inability to deal with daily stresses, we seek to escape from reality. We often do this by taking on more hours at work or get another job. Men might escape with sports or become absorbed in a movie. Women may escape with visits to family, shopping, or volunteer work. Children “lose themselves” in social chatting, video games, or TV programs which filter values through their brain they do not need. Whatever way seems to “get us away” from the daily stresses often puts more tension on our relationship with God, family, and fellow brethren.
What is often overlooked is the obvious. The first step should be prayer. Why not? Are we not anxious because of these “stressful moments”? Is the Spirit of God living in us? Do we not believe the power to handle these “pressure packed” situations is God or ourself? We have proven they are too much for us or else we would not have followed steps 1 through 3 mentioned above.
All we need to do is ask. Prayer does make a difference. It causes us to put into order the things of most importance with hope that whatever remains, by the grace of God, we will approach tomorrow.
“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time; casting all your anxiety upon him, because he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
