Holiday Rhythms Sample

Too Stressed To Rest

One thing that keeps a lot of us from truly resting is stress. Things like friend drama, money problems, and the daily struggle of balancing school, church, extracurricular activities, and life fill us with stress and rob us of rest. 

We think if we don’t work hard, nothing will work out, and while hard work is a good thing, our rest reminds us that ultimately God is the one who holds it all together. Your rest is directly connected to your trust in God. 

But while God commands us to rest, He rarely calls us to comfort. In fact, if you’re going to walk in all God’s called you to, you’ve got to get good at finding comfort in the discomfort. 

Mary and Joseph were given the honor of being Jesus’ human family, but with that favor came unimaginable challenges. Mary’s miraculous pregnancy created a serious problem for her and Joseph since they weren’t married yet. And their problems only seemed to grow as Herod attempted to destroy Jesus by killing all the baby boys in and around Bethlehem who were under two years old. 

When the Lord told Joseph he needed to flee to Egypt for his family’s safety, Joseph trusted and surrendered to God’s plan. He didn’t push back or have a panic attack — Joseph rested in God’s faithfulness, even when his situation gave him reason to stress.

Sometimes our lives are stressful because we don’t manage our time well and we make bad decisions, but sometimes what feels like frustration may actually be God’s favor on your life. 

You know that teacher who has been pushing you all semester? That could be God growing something inside of you that you’ll use later. Or maybe it’s a broken heart. What feels like rejection might be God’s protection. Your hard situation isn’t an indicator that God has abandoned you. In fact, that’s the joy of Christmas — God is with us in everything we face. 

If you can’t change your situation, perhaps God’s calling you to take a deep breath and simply trust Him through it — just like Mary and Joseph had to do.

Take a minute and think of the thing that’s stressing you out right now — the thing that’s weighing you down and worrying you. Now picture yourself placing it in God’s sovereign hands. He’s big enough to handle it and hold you in the process. How can you choose rest over stress this Christmas?