Choosing to Stress Less

I read a blog post (Thanks Tawn!) this past week that has been clunking around in my brain all weekend. It was about how stress is a choice that we make, and how not being stressed out is a decision.

I hadnt really thought about it in those terms, but really that is what the whole Less Stress effort is about for me! It is about purposefully determining that we will not allow stress to take the place of the peace that God promises to us, if we use what he has given us the right way.

I have been considering, though, what exactly what do we chose about stress?

Clearly, we dont always have control over the things that cause our stress to start with. We cant control...

* Others' bad choices
* Illness (for ourselves, or others)
* Life circumstances (the car breaks down or the economy fails)

We cant chose those things, but we can chose our reaction and the degree to which we allow them to stress us.  I think often, our stress is made worse when we feel we have not control over the outcome. Or, we feel we have not control over the source of stress to begin with. I think, though that we have more choice than we think we do! We can chose ...

* Our reaction to stresses
* To not compare ourselves to others
* Who we allow to judge us (or whose judgements we give warrant to)
* How we manage our resources
* What we think about (or not allow ourselves to think about)
* Who we surround ourselves with
* To be content
* To see all our circumstances from God's eyes, in the bigger picture

We can chose to do something about it, to give up, get control, get over it, get a plan, get a new perspective and always give it to God. We are not powerless in the face of our stresses.

While we cannot always chose the things that naturally would cause us a degree of stress, we can chose to not allow stress to take over and to create in us emotions and feelings that arent healthy or beneficial.

We can determine, purposefully, that the circumstances around us will not decide the outcome of our day, our mind, our heart or our spirit. We can make a choice.

Remember, that we are far from alone in that ...God has given us all we need to stand up under the weight of negativity, pessimism, fret, worry or fear. Through Christ, he has given us an ability to rise above the world and its tendency to breed stress and feelings of being overwhelmed.

For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 2 Corinthians 4:17 (NLT)

I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12 (NIV)

 Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

Psalms 55:22 (NIV)

What are you tempted to allow to overwhelm you today ..what can you do about it?

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