THE STRESS TRAP

And they really think we are going to fall for this?

I had some startling revelations this morning.  It dawned on me that when I “react” to a situation with unchecked emotions, stress is the inevitable outcome. The longer my emotions go unexamined, the greater the stress.  And I am sorry to say, I have been blaming others for my feelings of stress.  

In a chapter entitled, “Stress,” author Gregory Dickow says that we must recognize stress as an enemy, a net set for us by the devil:

“If you put a net up in front of a bird, he’s going to fly around it, over it, or turn around and go the other direction.  He sees his enemy and he avoids it.”*

Stress has become a common denominator in our culture and we now take its existence for granted.  Annually, $875 billion dollars are spent on tranquilizers!**  There are sports clubs, health spas, “stress-free” vacations, best sellers on how to alleviate stress and books on why stress can be a positive factor in your life. 

How do I deal with stress?  How do you deal with stress? 

Recognizing stress as a ploy of the enemy helps me put things in perspective and acts as a red flag, urging me to look at what is going on “inside of me,” not just “outside of me”; that is, if I am paying attention.

Surely in vain, the net is spread in the sight of any bird (Proverbs 1:17).

At this point, I am at a crossroads. I can continue getting caught up in the tangled web of stress. If I follow this route, chances are I will end up banging on God’s door, demanding a change in the situation or in the other people involved.  OR…  I can pause in my tracks and go to that quiet space hidden in God where I can lay it all out before Him, trusting in Him to show me the way. This may sound simplistic, but I am discovering that what Oswald Chambers writes is true:

"By receiving His Spirit, recognizing and relying on Him, and obeying Him as He brings us the truth of His Word, life will become amazingly simple" (Oswald Chambers, Utmost for His Highest, January 26).

 

Don't let this happen to you!!

 *   Taking Charge of Your Emotions! By Gregory Dickow (page 75).

** Breaking the Grip of Dangerous Emotions By Janet Maccaro, Ph.D., C.N.C. (page 22).