Back to the topic! If you're worried, and stressed, and sick of feeling that way, this post is for you.
Far too
often we leave our Bible’s to get dusty, and find ourselves stressing and
worrying about worldly things. Then we wonder why, and cry out to God to help
us.
When depression is on the rise, and
everyone seems to be stressed out, we especially need to know how to deal with
stress. There are lots of different ways the world suggests to do this. It will
say to take medication, watch movies to get your mind off your problems, and to
learn to love yourself. While those might seem like good suggestions God has better
ones, with better results. And those results start with where we left off.
The Bible is filled with wonderful
promises and reassurances for us. And while we might not realize it, it also
has advice about stress. Some of my favourite verses are Matthew 6: 25-34
“And why take ye thought for raiment?
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they
spin: And yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed
like one of these. Where if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day
is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye
of little faith?”
Matthew 6:28-30
If you’ve ever seen lilies of the fields you
know how beautiful they are. What a lovely analogy this is, and it is very true
that no matter how many riches you have, you cannot duplicate their beauty.
“Take therefore no thought for the morrow:
for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the
day is the evil thereof.”
Matthew 6:34
We aren’t supposed to worry about tomorrow.
Know one knows what will happen, no one except God.
“Casting all your care upon Him; for He
careth for you.”
1 Peter 5
It is in our human nature to worry, so what
we are supposed to do when a worrying thought comes into our head? Cast in on
God. Pray about whatever the thing is, and forget about it.
“Be careful for
nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Phillipians 4:6-7
The
majority of the reason people get stressed out, is because they’re only
thinking about themselves. What am I going to do? What will they think
about me? What if I do bad in school? The very simple
remedy for this is to turn our thoughts from ourselves to God, and ask
ourselves what He would do, or want.
What would He do? What will He
think of me? How would He want me to
do this assignment? See the difference? The focus turns from us to God. Ask Him
your questions, ask Him for help, and you will find peace.
Many of Jesus’s parables were about nature,
and taught in nature. Christ himself was very often in nature. I find that walking
in nature, and seeing the complexity of His design is relaxing.
Another problem today is self-hate, and
self-harm. This problem can be solved as well, by looking in the Bible. If you
feel worthless, or think you’re not loved simply read salvation’s plan.
“For God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but
have everlasting life.”
But not only that, if you had been the
only person in the world, God would have died for YOU! When Jesus was on the
cross, your sins were on His back, he was suffering for you. That is the
ultimate love. Nowhere on earth will you ever find that kind of love. And God
also promised that nothing can keep us from that love.
“Nor height, nor depth, nor any other
creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:39
The
perspective gives us a perfect balance. We can’t hate ourselves, because we see
how much we’re loved, and how much we’re worth. We also can’t become
over-obsessed with ourselves, because who could, when they saw how much God has
suffered for us, and how little we have given Him. (Ludy, 2015, pp. 171-192)
When Paul was in prison did he fall
into depression? No, he was able to encourage his fellow believers, even in the
face of death. When Jesus was hated by the world did He begin to hate Himself?
No, He pointed others to God, and helped them see how much they were loved.
So as we can see, the rising problem of
stress and depression is being caused by the also rising rate of dusty Bibles
in this country. When we simply read and believe the promises of God, we find
it very hard to be stressed. When we turn our thoughts from ourselves to God, we
forget about our problems.
I hope this has encouraged you, and you're feeling better already. Remember to ask God for help, and He'll give you peace and hope!
Sincerely, Rachel
