Better Ways To Replace Stress

How many of you remember the old commercial from Calgon? A woman is lying in a bathtub filled with water and lots of sudsy bubbles. She has had a rough day dealing with the house, the telephone, and the kids making messes. She then says those famous words, “Calgon, take me away!”

I have uttered those words many, many times in my life. I have even tried soaking in a huge tub of sudsy bubbles to see if they would wash away my stress. Instead of easing my stress level, it just gave me extra time to stew over whatever was bothering me, and it left me with dry skin. That was not the result I had hoped for.

Stress is something everyone has. Some people stress over everything, from what they want to eat for lunch, to what purse goes with their outfit. 🙋‍♀️ Others only stress over large things, such as being sick or having enough money to pay their bills.

Have you ever noticed all the sayings about stress?

• Tough times never last, tough people do.
• Storms never last
• Keep calm, and carry on
• Live more, stress less

Having stress, and fixing stress are two different issues. I have tried yoga, with meditation, to ease my stress levels. This is a calming exercise, and I enjoyed the relaxed mood I could achieve, but it was only a short-term fix. I needed a long-term fix, one that can work anywhere and anytime. Medications have become a really popular way of handling stress. Doctors write prescriptions for “happy pills” all the time. This is one of the only ways that some people can cope with everything that is happening in their lives. I’m thankful that I’m not in that category, and that I’ve finally tried something that works.

The only thing that really calms me is prayer. I know that the Lord hears me, and I know that He loves me. That in itself should be calming enough for anyone. Reread that sentence; He hears me, and He loves me. I admit that I forget that way too often. I will find myself worrying and stressing over things that I cannot change or fix. That is not my job, I am way underqualified for that position.

Here are some Bible verses to replace stress with faith:

• Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
• Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
  6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
• Philippians 4:13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
• Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
  29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
  30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

There is a classic American joke that tells of a congressman who, when he solicits a constituent’s vote, learns that the man is planning to vote for his opponent. “But how can you do that?” the congressman objects. “Don’t you remember that time ten years ago when your business burned down, and I arranged for you to get a low-interest loan from the Small Business Administration? And what about the time when your daughter got in trouble with the police overseas, and I arranged for her to be released and sent back to the United States? And the time when your wife was sick, and I helped get her admitted to the special hospital she needed?” The voter answers, “That’s all true, but what have you done for me lately?”

Is this the message we send the Lord? What have you done for me lately? Do I only turn to Him in moments of distress?

Looking back over my life, I can see the Lord’s hand in so many ways. Knowing that He is always there for me and never leaves me puts my mind at ease and fills me with joy.

Stress may never completely leave my life. But counting my many blessings, and remembering all the Lord has already provided is better than a Calgon moment could ever be. And, my skin will be much happier.

To God Goes The Glory

Have a Blessed Day!