Hoping Through Hurt: 5 Days of Biblical Counsel for the HolidaysSample

A Biblical Way to Manage Stress

God created us, and he understands our bodies’ stress mechanisms inside and out. The Bible is filled with wise counsel on how to deal with stress:

• Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal if you are under chronic stress (Ps 139:23–24).
• Pinpoint areas in your life that are creating tension, weariness, and anxiety (Ps 46:10).
• Ask the Spirit to show you how you can better manage those stressful areas (Ps 90:12).
• Read the Bible with an eye on examples of Spirit-inspired stress management (Pr 3:5–6).
• Take prayerful, significant steps to help you avoid stress (Php 4:6).

Stress Decompression: Waiting on the Lord

My disability requires me to live according to Galatians 5:25. To “keep in step with the Spirit” is to obey the pace he sets for the day.

• Listen to his promptings, not only first thing in the morning but throughout the day.
• Stay connected by asking God questions throughout the day: “Lord, should I say no to this request?” or “What are your priorities for my afternoon?”
• Be sensitive to warnings from your conscience.
• Realize God is mostly interested in your relationship with him and others.

Waiting on the Lord goes against our human grain. But while we may regret a hasty decision a million times over, we will never regret waiting on the Lord.

Are you dealing with a need that’s pushing you to hurry or add something more to your schedule? Fight the temptation to run ahead of the Lord. Lay your desires and petitions at his feet and wait for his peace (Php 4:6–7).

Just Do What You Can

Sometimes after a busy day, I wonder, Am I doing “the Christian life” right? I found a reassuring answer in Mark 14. A woman poured expensive perfume on Jesus’s head. Those gathered there were indignant over such a waste of good perfume. “Jesus replied, ‘Leave her alone. . . . She has done what she could’” (vv. 6,8). Often I feel I have done stupid things. But like the woman in Mark 14, I have done what I could. That’s all God asks.

Sometimes we feel guilty if we can’t accomplish everything that we hope to. We keep adding things to our schedule. If you are feeling weary and tired of trying, do what you can in service to Christ. It will be enough.