Eddie Lowe
Just A Thought
Do you remember walking through the woods as a kid and bending back tree branches to get around them or, better yet, having a friend in front bend one back and then release it only to smack you in the face? That painful experience is also a lesson in stress. The branch bends out of its natural state and, upon being released, snaps back into place. There are two outcomes that could result from this: the limb would break or it would spring back. Either way, it was an elementary lesson on physical stress.
A quick Google search will tell you that being under pressure is a cause of stress. Oftentimes, we’ll bring a question to a doctor, only to find out our symptom is actually stress-related. Thanks to the doctor’s visit, we learn something about what “triggers” our stress. So what is a trigger? In order to understand that, we need to understand that our personal life has stress and breaking points.
Stress, in its physical form, is all around us. As I write this, there is an exterior wall beside me under stress– even if I don’t see it. Builders call it a “load-bearing wall.” It’s designed to deal with pressure. The hot water heater in your home is designed to be under pressure and the very chair or bed you are sitting in as you read this, or even the car you drive, is built with pressure in mind. All the above have one thing in common: they have a breaking point built in. The hot water heater has a pressure relief valve so it won’t explode. The car you own has “crumple zones” made to fold during a wreck to keep you safe.
What about you, on a personal level? Is there something that comes to mind that causes you stress? There certainly is. Here’s what the Bible says on the subject.
Song of Songs 2:15
[15] Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.
Look at the words “little foxes.” Here the writer discusses what was destroying the grape vines. Note that he explains the damage is caused by little foxes, not big ones. In our lives, a large amount of stress is often caused by a multitude of small things.
For example, in my shop office I tend to store things that don’t belong– such as totes full of junk. My desk turns into a catch-all. These small inconveniences make me upset. I can push them aside or I can put them away. Pushing them aside doesn’t help, so I’ve taken some time and cleaned my office and I feel better! Oddly enough, as soon as I started to clean I began to feel relaxed.
Your “little foxes” might not be a cluttered office, but we all have our triggers. We need to realize it’s often a buildup of small things that bring down the large. Take for instance the Titanic. While the iceberg it hit wasn’t small, the true cause of the wreck was. Modern studies show that the steel was inferior and brittle. Small defects in the steel led to the ship snapping in half. There are times when people themselves bring stress into our lives and are best avoided.
This next scripture reveals a common problem that may add stress to your life:
Matthew 17:4
[4] Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
This scripture happens on a mountain where Peter, James, and John, see Jesus transformed before them. The Bible says Jesus’ face and body shone like the sun. The Apostle Peter was so overwhelmed that he blurted out a silly statement that actually contains a huge life lesson. Peter is so caught up in the moment that he wants them to construct three tabernacles, or portable dwellings.
The lesson here is one I’m guilty of many times: don’t commit to something in the heat of the moment. It’s ok to say no. Thankfully, we read in verse five that God himself spoke and told the men that Jesus was his beloved son and they needed to hear or listen to him.
We need to understand Peter wasn’t being lazy or disrespectful, but he was about to commit to something that wasn’t needed. Let’s suppose they did begin to build these structures. Consider the time, the material, and the mountain they were to be built on. You’ll soon see it was not a well-thought-out statement, but one made during excitement.
In plain English, don’t commit yourself to something not needed. I can’t count the times I’ve said I’d do something in a moment of excitement. When the dust settled, I regretted committing to it and undue stress came from it!
Here are four different ways people handle stress:
- Some people deny they have stress and this leads to failure.
- Some people try to defy stress by saying they can rise above it only to come crashing down.
- Some people create stress– separate yourself from them.
- Some people identify their triggers and work through their stress.
We want to follow number four. Look around you and identify stress triggers. I will sometimes even write them down. I’m sure you’ll notice many triggers are small, but when combined, will cause our stress to grow. I hope this helps!
