Christians
and Stress
by H.R Stevens
This subject may
seem strange and maybe even unnecessary for Christians, because
"stress" belongs to those in the Business world,
Academia or somewhere else. Right? Wrong! When you consider that
Christians also function in those worlds is it not logical,
then, to assume that stress sometimes creeps into their
lives? Therefore, I perceive a need for such a
discussion.
Stress is not a
disease, hence there is no cure. And since stress is necessary,
we don't want to eliminate it, but we do need to control it. In
order to do that, we must know what it is and what causes it. By
definition, stress is any change to which you must adjust.
Changing jobs, getting married, getting divorced, getting sick,
getting well, becoming suddenly rich, and even becoming a
Christian are some of the changes that can cause stress. Trying
to adjust to the Christian standards of living also causes
stress.
Repentance is
often an unrecognized stressor because we are trying to break
old habits and alter old patterns of living. Those of us who
preach the gospel often think people get sick because they don't
want to give up their old habits, but I now believe that the
average person sincerely puts forth the effort to "kill the
old man" (Col 3:9), only to be set back by stress. He/she
may be able to deal with the sinful habits, but they don't quite
know how to deal with those "funny feelings". Paul
said, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are
become new." (II Cor 5:17) That sounds good on the surface,
but it is quite a hurdle for a person not accustomed to faithful
attendance, liberal giving and clean living. If heaven is high
on the list of priorities, the greater will be the stress and
pressure.
One more situation before I talk
about controlling stress. James said, "If any man among you
seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth
his own heart, this man's religion is vain.' (James 1:26) Some
folk, try as they may, can not seem to keep their tongue in
check, but if they put forth the effort, stress is going to
build up. Because we generally preach righteous living and
avoidance of sin, we fail to consider the stress that often
brings Christians down front to confess non-specific feelings of
sin.
I am not trying
to excuse nor make light of sin, but rather to help us
understand the physical side of repentance and adjusting to the
Christian life. In my next article I will talk about some ways
to deal effectively with stress.
"CHRISTIANS
AND STRESS - CONT'D"
by H.R Stevens
A life with no
stress would be rather dull and boring, but a life with too much
stress would be dangerous. Stress in human life has been
compared to the tension on a violin string; no stress/tension
-no music; too much tension and it makes a little music before
it snaps. However, the right amount of tension and beautiful
music is the result. So you need to find the amount of stress
that is right for you.
Sometimes the
amount of stress in your life indicates the emphasis and
significance you attach to various events. For example, if you
attach a great deal of importance to marriage, the threat of
divorce could produce high stress. But, if marriage is not that
important to you, the threat of divorce would not be stressful.
Adjusting to single life after marriage produces high stress
much the same as adjusting to married life after being single.
In order to
effectively manage stress, you need to know your body and how it
feels when you experience a change in your regular routine or
face a crisis. Stress can cause tension in the neck and shoulder
muscles or it can cause headaches. For some people stress
unsettles the stomach while with others it could settle in the
vocal cords causing the voice to go off-key. It could cause
cramps in the legs or a combination of other symptoms. To simply
take an aspirin and hope for the best, is to throw caution to
the wind and take your chances that the situation won't get
worse.
I believe the
early church handled stress better than our generation, because
the Bible says, "And they, continuing daily with one accord
in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat
their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God
and having favor with all the people..." (Acts 2:46-47) You
see, where members of a congregation are close and share each
others cares, stress rarely reaches uncontrollable levels. But
when members are suspicious or envious, they tend to keep a lot
of frustration bottled up inside and suffer in silence. There is
a passage in James' writings that is profitable for spiritual
well-being, but it also has physical value as well:
"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for
another, that ye may be healed..." (James 5:16) Having a
good friend to talk to, a good prayer life and a good plan for
exercise and relaxation should help to reduce and maintain a
safe stress level in your life.
I sincerely hope
and trust that this discussion has been meaningful for you and
helped you to be more at peace with God and with yourself. I
realize that I have only scratched the surface on this subject,
but if you would like more information, I will be happy to
devote a class period to discussion and include some relaxation
exercises. So let me hear from you in this regard.
Excerpt from "Reflections
on Life and How To Live It" by H.R Stevens ©1993
H. R Stevens is the minister of the Northeast Church of Christ
in Denver, Colorado. |
