Stress is Bad.

It has always struck me how often it happens that when you are encouraging someone else you are just speaking truth to yourself. I was just reminding a close friend of mine in a similar situation that stress does not bring glory to God, when in actually I'm needing to hear that myself. Stress really is an interesting thing. It starts with worry, and soon it is a weight you don't know how to get out from under. Usually little things that you feel you have no control over keep piling up and before you know it, you are trapped. 

But what does it really mean when we stress? From what I can tell it can mean one of two things. Either we are afraid God won't come through for us, or we think we are more powerful than God and will therefore ruin everything. When put like that it seems pretty ridiculous to stress out because both are against the very nature of this all powerful, all good and loving God that we serve. Would God ever call us to something then leave us there hanging only to laugh at our failure? Never. He loves us and has bigger plans than we can imagine. Why would He do that to us? But not only that, but to Himself! He would be shaming His great name by being unfaithful and messing up His own plans. But we don't like the openly blame God, so we blame ourselves and say that we are afraid of hearing God wrong, or of not following Him well, or of generally screwing over every dream we had of being all we were meant to be. But that thought assumes that we, people who are doing our level best to seek God, could accidentally override the creator of the universe. As if His plans are so flimsy that we, while doing all we know to do, would ruin God and therefore ourselves. I don't want to serve that petty of a God. I want to serve a God Who is greater than I am. Isn't that the point of serving Him in the first place? Because He is worthy. 

So like I said, lately I was stressed out. About many many things in fact. But God is sovereign, and that gives me peace. It isn't up to me to work out my life. Like Micah 6:8 says, "He has told you men what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: Only to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God." That is pretty simple honestly. 

And yet in light of all of this, in the face of my near faithlessness that I would ever find a job or peace, God has been faithful. I have accepted a position as a nanny and will be able to do and be all the things God has called me to. I will be able to save money for Kona, get enough rest, have time to do ministry, and be a positive influence over this little boy. 

So yes, stress is bad, but God is good.