~ written by Connie Dunmyer
Ever have one of those days? Just a really bad day. A day where "chicken soup" (no matter how good it is), is not going to fix things.
"You know it's a bad day when even your Bible app crashes and says, 'Try again later.'"
"I'm not saying I'm stressed, but when I opened my lunch, the Tupperware sighed too."
Earlier this week, I had a bad day. I was completely out of sorts, out of sync. I didn’t fit. I was emotionally flooded. As I put washed towels into the dryer, I found myself balling them up and throwing them in as hard as I could. I said to myself “Girl… you’ve got some anger issues going on.” So after I cleaned up the parmesan cheese that covered my kitchen floor like sand, I ended the day by binge-watching “Ted Lasso” with a big ol’ tub of ice cream. Too tired to think. Too tired to resist. Too tired to try. Too tired to cry.
I took the Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory test - got a 438. Not a good number.
“Cast all your anxiety [cares] on him because he cares for you.” – 1 Peter 5:7 . . . Oh believe me, I do.
Definition of Cast = “an act of throwing something forcefully”. Think of throwing your cares and anxieties with all your might onto Jesus. (Kinda like the way I was throwing those towels into the dryer.)
Typically God and I manage stress pretty well. And I am reminded, of our discussion in the "Rated M" yield-blog where I realized that Jesus is actually taking the blows for me. So whatever I'm feeling, whatever I'm dealing with, is truly far less than it would be if not for being surrounded by the Holy Spirit. I do not know how people deal with the stresses of life - even just really bad days - without God.
So after my “bad day” I sat down with hopeful expectation of receiving something from the Father. And my Abba did not disappoint! He spoke to me through various places and means, and poured His Spirit into mine. Kinda like “Duct Tape for the Soul” – holding me together, fixing all the leaky places, never letting go. (Have you ever tried to remove duct tape?) Anyway, these helped me and I hope you find encouragement in them as well.
Duct Tape #1: (Pastor Greg Laurie)
Gideon had a fairly large army of 32,000 soldiers. But it paled in comparison to the forces of the Midianites and their allies, who were so numerous that Judges 7:12 describes them as a “swarm of locusts” (NLT). Even so, God told Gideon that his army was too big. God knew that if the Israelites defeated the Midianites, they would chalk it up to their superior military skills. And God wanted to leave no doubt as to who deserved credit for the victory. He told Gideon to call his men together and say, “Whoever is timid or afraid may leave this mountain and go home” (Judges 7:3 NLT). Gideon obeyed the Lord, and 22,000 of his soldiers said, “We’re out of here.” That left 10,000, still too many. God thinned the ranks once more, this time based on the way the soldiers drank water from a stream. Gideon was left with 300 men. “The LORD told Gideon, ‘With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.’” Judges 7:7. They routed the Midianites and their allies.
Your job is to stay faithful through it all. To study and apply God’s truths in Scripture. To live in a way that honors Christ. To resist temptation. To confess and turn from your sin. To communicate continuously with the Lord in prayer. To worship Him. And to tell others about Him. If you prioritize those things and commit yourself to spiritual battle, you won’t have to worry about the size of the opposition. God will take care of the numbers.
Duct Tape #2: (Oswald Chambers)
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” - Hebrews 13:5
“I will never leave you…”— not for any reason; not my sin, selfishness, stubbornness, nor waywardness. In other words, I will not be obsessed with apprehension. This does not mean that I will not be tempted to fear, but I will remember God’s words of assurance. I will be full of courage, like a child who strives to reach the standard his father has set for him. . . Take hold of the Father’s assurance, and then say with strong courage, “I will not fear.”
Duct Tape #3: (Devotional)
Hardened to Difficulties
If twenty years ago you faced some of the difficulties you face today, they would have defeated you. God knows what you can handle. As you keep passing these tests, He’s hardening you to difficulty. You’re getting stronger. Your faith is growing. Your endurance is increasing. Your spiritual muscles are being built up. The reason God is doing this is because there are awesome things in your future. God is taking you to a wide and spacious place. He’s going to enlarge your territories. But with greater influence comes greater giants. With greater blessings comes greater opposition. With greater favor comes greater persecution. If He didn’t harden you to difficulty, you couldn’t withstand what comes against you. You may be going through some things today that aren’t fun. You may be uncomfortable, but you have to realize that God is not making you suffer. He’s working through the difficulty to deposit something inside you. He’s growing you up, getting you stronger, increasing your faith. Be encouraged that everything you are going through is necessary for where God is taking you.
1 Peter 5:6-7 from The Message:
"So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you."
NOTE: If you find yourself in overwhelming stress - and it's not "just a bad day" - please consider looking into some of these places for help: Convene for the Cities Trainings, Rx4 Wholeness, Relational Peace, or Time to Heal.