DE-STRESS!

I went to see my neurologist this past Thursday for a follow-up and he told me that he felt that the tumor was stable and growing at a very slow rate if at all. PRAISE GOD! He did tell me, however that he was concerned with the amount of migraines that I am still dealing with. There is a mass of blood vessels on the right side of the back of my head that swell and stretch every time I suffer with what they call these "complicated migraines" that cause me to have temporary paralysis to the left side of my body that last any where from 2 hours to 78 hours.

His concern is that one of these days I am going to have one of these attacks and the vessels will rupture and I will have a massive stroke. So he said I am to stay STRESS FREE. I really wanted to laugh at that. I mean we live life, right? Life is full of stress. How is that possible? He went on to tell me that when I feel any type of stress beginning to come on, then I need to learn how to DE-STRESS. How in the world am I to do that? He said that I am to turn and walk away. Doc said that if I needed to get in my car and drive away from what is causing my stress then do so. Whatever it takes, I need to learn to De-stress. He told me to be aware of any body signals that would alert me that stress is starting to attack me. Like tightness in my neck and shoulders. Any type of headaches coming on. Any signals like that. I need to be aware of these type of warnings and then heed those warnings and take action against them.

So I Began to think on De-stressing. How does one go about it? Well, some people like to work out. They go to the gym and exercise. My youngest daughter is a 911 communications center dispatcher supervisor and let tell you that is one stressful job. She goes to the gym and works out after a hard day at work. She says it helps her to release a lot of stress. She also likes to go for pedicures. She says it relaxes her. Or she just likes to go shopping. My oldest daughter is a foster mom and also holds down a full time job working with severely handicapped children who are in wheelchairs and she has to do most everything for them. She loves her job and loves working with these children. It is hard work and she has to do a lot of lifting. She De-stresses by finding a good book to read in a quite place and she kicks back and reads with her radio playing softly in the background. Or she will play her piano. Sometimes she will put her kids in the stroller and go for a brisk walk or she will play a game with her 6 year old son. That is her way of De-stressing. My son works in Corrections and he likes to De-stress by just be totally alone some where quite and peaceful after a hard day at work. Maybe he will go for a quite drive in country just to get a way from it all or he will just go home and crash in his room. I enjoy doing art work, decorating bulletin boards, and reading. Just let me do something creative and play some Godly music in the background and soon I am feeling much better. Some people like to play golf. That helps them De-stress. Whatever works we need to do it in order to De-stress.

I got to thinking about this in the spiritual realm. There are times that we get stressed out spiritually. When we feel the pressures of life begin to bear upon us and we find that we are struggling in our walk we need to De-stress. If we don't find a way to De-stress in the Lord we will start floundering around and things will just get worse and eventually we will have a spiritual stroke.

My pastor just preached a great message recently on "Stop Struggling" He said that when we are struggling we are not leaning on or trusting in God. Pastor compared it to when someone is drowning and you are trying to save them, the person being saved must relax and let you save them. They can not fight against you or you can not help them. They have to relax and trust you and let you do what it takes to get them to safety. That is how it is with God. We need to trust in God and let Him be in control.

Brother I. H. Terry once told me, "Sis why pray when you can worry?" I looked at him and said, "Didn't you get that backwards?" he replied, "Yes, but unfortunately, so does everyone else. People would rather worry, than pray and leave it in the hands of God. So, I ask why pray when you can worry?" Made me think, that's for sure.

The problem is, a lot of us go to the altar and pray and ask God to take care of a situation for us. We ask for His help and plead with Him and then when we get through praying, we get up, grab the problem and place it back upon our shoulders and walk away with it instead of leaving it there upon the altar for God to take care of. What is wrong with us? Do we not believe that God is well able to take care of the situation? Evidently not or we would have left it there for Him and Him alone to deal with. When we pick that problem back up and walk away with it, we are saying, "God, I think I can do a better job at solving this than you can and then we just make a bigger mess of things than what they already are.

It is time to quit flapping around with the chickens who can barely get their feet off the ground. All they do is go around squawking all the time. Then there are others who do a little better and they fly around with the sparrows. But why not let it all go and quit struggling like my pastor said. Hey I'm talking to myself as well. I am going to let it all go because I don't want to flutter around with the chickens and I don't want to fly around with the sparrows. I want to soar with the eagles. I want to rise above it all. I am going to let go and let God be in control of it all. I am going to De-stress spiritually in the Lord.

How does one De-stress in God? Fasting and prayer, reading His word, faithful attendance to the House of God. Godly fellowship, listening to Godly music, Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." We do not have time to think on negative things. When we think on negative things it causes stress. We must think on Godly things and that is the key for Godly things are positive. When we are positive in God we will be able to stay De-stressed spiritually and then we will begin to soar with the eagles.

So just like in the natural, heed the warning signs. When you see and feel the stress coming on, give it to Jesus. Matt.11:28.says; "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." When you go to Him, give Him your problems and burdens and leave them on the altar. Do not pick them back up and carry them away with you again. Quit struggling. Let go and let God. Quit flapping around with the chickens and quit flying with the sparrows. De-stress and let's soar with the eagles.