I have often been told that the way I look shows how stressful my life is—a polite way of saying overworking has turned me into an ugly mess. While I do admit that I can get a little overboard with work every now and then, it once got me into thinking: Is it wrong to be stressed?
Stress is an all too common issue nowadays. Practically anyone can get stressed out and feel physical, emotional or even spiritual tension that can go beyond one's capacity to manage. The Bible doesn't mention the word stress plainly, but it does talk about anxiety, worry, fear and troubles that can all cause stress.
Should stress be something that should be of concern to Christians? But more important than knowing whether or not we get stressed (which I'm sure we all do at times) is knowing the things that cause our stress and how to respond to them.
What Causes Our Stress
There's a long list of things that can cause stress to us. The state of our finances, jobs, relationships, reputation, calling, possessions, responsibilities and household problems are just some of the many possible causes of stress. But at a deeper level, these things are rarely the root cause of our stress. Many times the true source of our stress starts with a heart and attitude stuck in anxiety.
Philippians 4:6 tells us, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."
What's so bad about anxiety that we are to avoid it? At the heart of anxiety is an inability to trust in God's sovereignty over hard times.
While getting stressed is not a sin, putting our faith and trust in anything other than Christ is, and that's what gets us stressed most of the time. When stress is caused by anxiety, it becomes a symptom of a heart issue that must be surrendered to Christ.
How We Respond to Stress
How do you often respond to stress? Do you get frustrated and angry, do you lose your temper, or do you become a pessimistic black hole that sucks the life out of people? These are all responses that God does not desire for us.
In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
If there's anything stress should do, it should teach us to rely on God more and not lose ourselves to fears and doubts. We can put our hope in God in stressful situations that are out of our control. We may not have control over everything, but God does.
The best response to stress caused by trial and tests is to turn to God and, as Philippians 4:6 tells us, "By prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."
