how to be strong
Unfinished business. Too much to do.
white knuckles
When I moved near to the big city where I now live, driving on unfamiliar highways made me feel uneasy. Merging into heavy traffic elevated my heart rate. I dreaded becoming boxed in by tractor trailers and other vehicles. Cars and trucks streamed by me, making me feel that I needed to speed up. During these moments, my knuckles became white as I tensely gripped the steering wheel.
stressed
More than “another day, another dollar,” work for the believer is an opportunity to live out our God-given talents. At the same time, our jobs can be a significant source of stress. As we’re responding to different personalities or economic challenges in the workplace, our responsibility as believers is the same regardless of location or job description: Love and reflect Jesus well.
trapped
There was a time, deep into my walk with Jesus, when life became extremely difficult. I told a friend that I felt like a mouse, batted back and forth between the paws of a cat that was toying with his victim before making the final blow.
still in process
After 18 years of marriage, I thought I had a pretty good handle on how to love my husband. Trials, children, and the hand of God had significantly affected change in our relationship in countless ways. But gentle promptings from the Lord to pick up a particular book on love continued to interrupt my daily activities. Noticing the book when it first hit the market, I knew it would be a great resource for others. Now, God was calling me to lay down my pride and see not only what He had done in my life but also what He still desired to do.
breathing easy
There’s a new cell phone app that claims it can help you de-stress. To use it, you have to clip a heart-rate monitor to your ear. The app then provides biofeedback that can help you find your “ideal breathing rate.” Once you’re inhaling and exhaling at the proper intervals, your stress level should decline.
troubles and comfort
Several years ago when my follicular lymphoma (cancer) was first diagnosed, I participated in a cancer clinical trial. It included the best of the standard (protocol) chemo treatment along with a special agent—a monoclonal antibody called Rituxin.
Recently a friend who is also battling follicular lymphoma received Rituxin as part of her standard treatment. In some small way my clinical trial…
excuses
Cyclist Tyler Hamilton had steadily advanced through the ranks of the US Postal Service team, and now he was on the verge of being included on the squad that would race in the Tour de France. All he had to do was take EPO, an illegal drug that boosted endurance for the grueling mountain climbs. Hamilton told the team doctor…
dying for peace
I hadn’t seen him in years. He called my name and walked over to me at the grocery store. After some small talk, I asked how he was doing. He said, “Last year I was dying,” and went on to explain that stress had nearly killed him. His heart and body had been breaking down due to his workaholic ways…
sandwiched
If you feel as if you’re a walking ham and cheese on rye, there might be good reason. More and more people are becoming part of the “sandwich generation.” They’re feeling the squeeze of caring for children while also supporting parents or parents-in-law. A recent report reveals that one in five working-age people in Asia are now officially “sandwiched.”
Boaz…
rest
We live in an action-oriented world, and it seems that simplifying our lives has never been more complicated. Answer the following questions as honestly as you can to determine if you need to rest: Do I feel stressed when functioning in my normal day-to-day activities? Is it difficult to find joy in the life that God has given me? Do…
frantic
I was just a few minutes away from major surgery. Nurses circulated through the room and I was hooked up to all sorts of monitors. Suddenly, a computer screen started blipping wildly. What was happening? Would I be all right? A nurse glanced at the readout and announced that it was monitoring my heart rate.
I needed to calm down! I’m…
designed for relationship
Human beings are mysteriously designed for relationship. Isolate someone in a room and eventually he or she will become stressed, and confused, and their sleep will be disturbed. The chronically isolated person will become ill more often and have a higher risk of heart disease. In fact, their genes will begin to decay—one researcher likened chronic loneliness to “premature aging.”…
God is coming
Recently, two pygmy sperm whales lay stranded near a New Zealand beach. Though volunteers, led by conservation officer Malcolm Smith, worked tirelessly, they couldn’t coax the beached whales back out into the open water. Just as they were about to surrender hope, a local bottlenose dolphin named Moko arrived, made a few shrill noises toward the whales—and immediately led them…
show us the way
I read of an Indian guru who will sell you "inner peace" for about $300. His brand of self-controlled breathing and meditation is all the rage among India's stress-worn business people and millions of others worldwide. Fortunately, it can be learned in one weekend and requires just 30 minutes of practice each day to keep the good vibes coming.
Sure,…
