For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)
I’m so stressed.” It’s difficult to go through a day without hearing this phrase at least once. But is stress supposed to be so commonplace in our lives? Is stress normal?
Stress isn’t always a bad thing. When you’re in danger or facing a challenge, you need the physical response that results. Your heart rate increases and adrenaline starts pumping so you’re ready for action.
This physical response is exactly what you need when you’re being chased by a bear, but the chronic, low-grade anxiety type of stress doesn’t benefit you at all. You may assume that feeling anxious about your job or finances is something everyone has to accept, but it isn’t. We tend to blame our stressed-out feelings on our circumstances, but being stressed-out is a direct result of what we think and believe, not what we’re experiencing in life.
We can fall for the lie that we have no control over stress, but it’s not true. While we can’t always control what happens to us, we can always choose our reaction. We can also choose our focus.
If you allow them, fear-based, stress-filled thoughts can eat away at you and destroy your ability to enjoy life and do great things for God. The good news is that you can break out of this stressed-out existence! You don’t have to stay focused on worry. Instead, you can choose to have the best response to stress.
Over the next few days we will discuss a Biblical response to stress. For now, I want you to realize one thing. Being stressed out is a choice and you can equip yourself to choose something different.