Declutter Now! 30 Day DevotionalSample

Stress is Distress

Part of the message in Luke 10:27 shares that we need to love the Lord our God with all of our mind. But, what if your mind is a stressed-out, weary, cluttered, burdened mess? Can you still love the Lord?

The short answer is, of course, yes, you can still love the Lord, BUT your ability to do so is seriously compromised when you can’t give him your ‘all’. God asks for total dedication, complete devotion, and our full attention. If we are otherwise engaged with negative thoughts and behaviors, we will most assuredly fall short.

We all suffer from a bad moment, or even a bad day, but how we manage stress in our lives makes all the difference in the world, and in our walk with Christ.

‘Good’ stress, short term, can motivate us to accomplish goals and find victory. In small doses, this type of stress can not only be advantageous, but it generally doesn’t promote serious, long term health risks.

‘Bad’ stress, left untreated and unchecked, can hold us back from experiencing joy, finding purpose, and living our full potential. This type of stress, emotional in nature, can incite serious bouts of anxiety, worry, depression, and promote addiction disorders. It can also produce very real, debilitating physical ailments such as high blood pressure and heart attacks. Bad stress can shorten your life.

God wants ‘all’ of us, and he wants us to be healthy, mind, heart, body, and soul. Don’t delay in seeking help for any untreated stress challenges you may have. Commit to managing your stress, and not allowing it to manage you!

What will you declutter? Stress of course! But also a host of other life-altering and joy stealing emotional and physical issues, including the ability to fully serve God.