Americans today make more money, have more labor-saving
techniques, have more leisure time and spend more on recreation
than any previous generation in our country’s history.
Americans today make more money, have more labor-saving techniques, have more leisure time and spend more on recreation than any previous generation in our country’s history. Yet the most common complaint in America has to do with having too little time and feeling worn out. The American Medical Association’s research says that 75-90 percent of all doctor visits involve stress-related symptoms.
The word “stress” comes from a Latin word that means “to be drawn tight.” Ever get a tight feeling in your neck and shoulders at work? That’s your body responding to the pressure you are feeling. And unfortunately, many of us live such pressure-cooker lives that one stresser follows another until we become physically tired, emotionally drained and spiritually barren.
Is there a way to avoid this vicious cycle? Yes! Jesus says we can, but we have to really focus on the root cause of most of our tension: worry. Let me share Jesus’ teaching on the subject from The Message (a modern-day paraphrase of the Bible). Jesus said:
“If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.
“Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds. Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion – do you think it makes that much difference?
“Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers – most of which are never even seen – don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?
“What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works.
“Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”
Jesus covers lots of ground in this teaching (Matthew 6:25-34), but he is primarily talking about worry, the No. 1 stress-producer in the world. He highlights two negatives about worry:
First, he says that worry reveals a lack of trust in God. That’s the point behind his illustration of the birds and the flowers. We cannot worry and trust God at the same time! These two concepts are mutually exclusive.
Then he points out that worry is a waste of time. He asks if worrying can even add a single moment to our life. Jesus says that worry is totally worthless. It can’t change the past and it can’t control future. What can it do? It can mess up today! That’s why Jesus said let each day take care of itself. We don’t need to open the umbrella until the rain comes.
Next week we will look at three ways God says you can deal with life’s stressers without having a nervous breakdown.
