HOW DO YOU HANDLE PRESSURE AND STRESS

Many of you probably heard all about my stressful day last week. It was a minor stress in the BIG picture of life since many other problems are worse. I was grateful that my issues were blog-related and not health or family-related, but they were a big deal to me. Handling pressure and stress is something that we all have to learn to do since life throws stress at us daily.

I live in coal country, so I know all about what pressure can do to coal. Did you know that PRESSURE is what can change coal into a diamond? It takes a lot of pressure and a lot of time, but the results can be amazing. Coal can be a fuel source for making steel, but a diamond can bring years of enjoyment to its owner.

Even though the result of all that pressure is a beautiful new creation, I doubt if the coal would volunteer to go through the process. Pressure and stress are HARD! You can ask any college student about what they go through when studying for finals. A law student can tell you all about pressure and stress when studying for the bar exam.

Those are examples of how pressure and stress can have a great outcome, and it all feels worth it in the end. The college student might graduate with a new career, and the law student would now be ready to hand out their shingle. But, the results of pressure and stress are not always pretty or have a happy ending.

Health, finances, marriage, and many other stresses might not end as we want. Our loved ones might not survive a health crisis, and a job loss might destroy our savings and leave us without a way to pay our bills. The divorce rate statistics tell us that marriages don’t always survive the pressure and stress put on them and don’t end up being a fairy tale.

Luke 22:44

⁴⁴ And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

Matthew 26: 36-39

³⁸ Then He *said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” ³⁹ And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”

Jesus didn’t escape the pressures and stress in His time here on earth. He is God’s Son, and He felt the pressure for what was to come. Jesus knew the short-term outcome was going to be horrible, and He was in anguish. If the Son of God couldn’t escape having pressure in this world, why would we ever think that we could?

Hosea 6:1-3

6 “Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. ² After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. ³ Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”

I wish that I could say that I was like Jesus and that prayer was my first response. Instead, I whine, cry, worry, fret, tell Joe, call a friend, and try to fix problems on my own. THEN, after everything else fails, I will call on the Lord for help. In my defense, I don’t want to “bother” the Lord with my piddly problems. I feel like I should only go to Him when my problems are HUGE, but that is not what He tells us to do.

Philippians 4:6-7

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Each of us handles pressure and stress in our own way. No matter how you handle your problems, the Lord wants us to go to Him with everything. There are no problems too small for the Lord. I am so thankful that the Lord is there for me and that He provides peace when I am troubled. He is a good, good Father!!!

To God Goes The Glory!

Have A Blessed Day!