De-stress

October 20, 2006

By Doug Graham

I see the signs of stress overload everywhere. Families are overloaded, marriages are stressed, we’re too busy at work, and yes, we’ve even been guilty at times of being too busy at church.

Life can become a carousel spinning faster and faster. We all come to a point where we want to throw up our hands and say, “Hey! Slow this thing down!”

Norman Vincent Peale once said, “Americans are so tense and keyed up that it’s impossible to put them to sleep with a sermon.”

Would that describe your life? Are you plugged into so many things the fuse box of your life threatens to shut everything down?

When Jesus said, “Come to me and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28), He wasn’t just referring to helping you sleep better. Yes, too much stress can affect your sleep schedule, which can lead to all sorts of problems. But the bigger problem has to do with how stress destroys your joy, your relationships and your health.

There is no end to the gimmicks that promise to reduce stress — everything from exotic foods to weird toys to innovative technology. But most, if not all, of our stress is triggered deep inside the human heart. It requires something more than a pill, a vacation or a financial windfall.

What’s required is the work of the Holy Spirit. He transforms the unending driven schedule of our lives into divine serenity. He frees us to say in any and all circumstances, “It is well with my soul.”

Doug Graham is senior pastor of Evangel Assembly of God in Bismarck, N.D.