The other night I was thinking about a couple of situations my family is facing and I couldn’t sleep.  What keeps you up at night?  Have you been there?  There is a common thread running through our western culture.  People are STRESSED OUT all the time.  Whether it’s finances, marriage, family, job, or moving, all of these cause mental, emotional and can even affect our physical health.  The sad thing is, even our children are stressed out!

You will get stressed!  But what should you do?

“My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” Matthew 26:28

I lead a church and daily hear of and spend time with people who are at a crossroads in their lives.  Death, marriage, birth, moving, bankruptcy, moral failure, I have seen it all.  We can learn much from Jesus’ moments before he suffers crucifixion, one of the greatest physical and emotional stresses known.  Jesus understands your stress. 

4 Things To Do When You Are Stressed –

#1 Separate Yourself – When stress hits it is often because I don’t see a pathway forward.  As Jesus was preparing to die, he knew he needed to get away.  Sometimes we are forced into solitude and other times we need to have the foresight and discipline to take a sabbatical and get away, FAST.  Jesus needed to feel the support and the love of His Father to have the strength to go forward.

#2 Pray – Maybe this one is common sense, but I am not talking about a casual prayer, I am talking about a desperate prayer.  One that calls out to God for deliverance and a miracle.  Call out to God, even if you don’t feel close to Him, even if you feel like He won’t listen.  If Jesus prayed and sweat drops of blood out of stress, well, maybe that is what it takes.

#3 Rely on Your Friends – When Jesus went to that Garden, He went with his friends, not alone.  He specifically asked them to watch.  Now, they failed him, but they needed to be present with him.  Have you ever thought what you are going through may be to help others gain courage?  The disciples learned a valuable lesson on that night.  I’m sure they never forgot those moments with Jesus.

#4 Follow Through – If you need courage, you need not to look further than Jesus on the cross.  Take the step, have the tough conversation, ask forgiveness, pay down the debt, believe God for your healing.  He is there with you.  Do it!

Jesus ultimately came to bring peace to all of this chaos.  Let this scripture resonate with you today…

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  Matthew 11:28

Josh

This week at 217church week 5 of our Defining Moments series, Joseph: When Perseverance Meets Blessing  Genesis 41:37-57.

Join us at 217church, a multi-site, contemporary church in Mercer County NJ.  217church is a family with small groups in New Jersey and Pennsylvania that meets Sundays in the Hamilton AMC24 Theater 10:00am and Sharon Elementary school in Robbinsville, NJ at 11:00.  Our new Robbinsville/East Windsor Campus meets every Sunday.  If you are looking for a church in East Windsor NJ, Lawrenceville NJ, Ewing NJ, Robbinsville NJ, Hightstown NJ, Hamilton NJ, Mercer County, Middlesex County or Bucks County, PA, we would love to have you join us.  Don’t miss our weekend services. Visit www.217church.com for more information. or watch a weekend message here