stress.

I'm stressed.
Really stressed.
I hate feeling like this.
I hate how it affects everything in my life.
I hate that I can't be the kind of wife and mother and teacher that I want to be.
I hate hearing about things second hand and not being involved in decisions that directly affect me.
I hate that I let the decisions of others and the actions of others stress me out.
I just hate stress.
Ugh.


A friend sent me this email awhile back. She subscribes to a daily devotional called "Girlfriends in God." I read it and thought, "Yes. Exactly. That's exactly how I feel."


"Come away with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." Mark 6:31

Cooking...cleaning...refereeing...chauffeuring...filing...paying bills...making phone calls...going to work...do you ever feel like running away from being in charge of everybody and everything!?

Maybe, like me, you've realized that what causes the most stress in life seems to be the accumulation of those common daily hassles. Honestly, those daily things pile up and drive you nuts! According to research, I've read, women do pretty well dealing with those major life events -- but it's the daily conquering of our never-ending "To Do Lists" that sends us over the edge.

Girlfriend, God has a word for you! Yes, all of you who are teetering on the edge of Freak-Out and for those of you who already have plunged over that cliff! His word comes through the psalmist in Psalm 131:2. "But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother."

Oh, the simplicity of being still; sitting down and being quiet in the middle of chaos is the way to regain your composure and strengthen your heart.

How quiet is your soul? Your soul is your mind and emotions. And if you're like most women, your soul is running all over the place! Maybe you've mastered the art of sitting down physically and even appearing to be quiet. But on the inside, your soul is charging ahead -- making plans and thinking about everything that has to be done. Any sisters out there?

I liken it to the perpetual little Ms. Pac Man -- running all over the place trying to gobble up all those stress ghosts before they gobble you! I remember so well when my boys were young and I'd pull them away from the video games, sending them to "the quiet place" so they could calm down and unwind. Sometimes it took quite a while for them to recover a quiet demeanor after being jerked around with all the agitated stimuli on the computer.

How about you, dear friend? Are the stressors of life jerking you around, leaving you agitated and jumpy? Well, I invite you to take a stress break. Quiet your emotions. De-escalate your soul. "Be still and know that He is God." (Psalm 46:10)

Yes, be very still and really know that He is God!

Okay. So right now, I'm going to take a few moments to deep breathe. Instead of charging frantically ahead to the next stress-stop, I'm sprinting into the arms of my God. He's the only One who can quiet my spirit and settle my nerves.

Let's Pray
Lord, I'm catching my breath; I'm catching my breath in You. Instead of charging ahead with my plans, I'm rushing to You! Teach me how to be still and know You are God!
In Jesus' name,
Amen



I need to quiet my soul.
I need to catch my breath in Him.
I need to rush to Him when my plans are falling apart.
I know that this is what I need to do.
Why is it so hard?