I had all kinds of trouble getting through our 10:45 am service yesterday. Forgot several things that were included in the order of worship. Felt unsettled throughout the whole service. It really bugged me for most of Sunday.
This morning it finally hit me - George, you were a stressed out man!
Last week I dealt with:
Several unhappy members...my secretary's health situation (we've worked over six years together so it was hard to see her hurting)...lack of respect for the pastoral office...several difficult and emotional counseling sessions...three full days in which I worked 40 hours in those three days...trying to pull arrangements together for our soon to be new deacon's theological interview...finding a guest speaker for a upcoming men's event...witnessing an auto accident on the freeway (PTL, the driver was not hurt at all)...my dear, sweet wife's ongoing health issues (we've been married 40 years and I don't know what I'd do without her).
So it was no wonder that I was a little distracted yesterday.
What do I do this week to keep from getting stressed out?
For one - pray. I realized this morning that as the stress seemed to build, I stopped praying. Started relying more on myself. Unfortunately, when stressed out, I'm pretty unreliable.
I use the devotional book, "The Divine Hours," because it helps me to pray the Psalms where I find such comfort and help. So this week, it's back to praying the hours - evening, morning and noon, as the Psalmist wrote.
For another - exercise. I was walking every day during lunch and I really enjoyed doing so. I was walking because it was helping my back. But I also think that it was a stress reliever. I felt so rejuvenated that I had more energy for afternoon stuff. So this week, I'm taking my t-shirt and shorts to work and digging out the tennis shoes from under my desk and I'm going to walk - don't care how hot it is!
For a third - diet. When I get stressed, I eat. Too much. Way too much. Then I gain weight. Too much. Way too much. So this week I'm going to be counting points just like I did on Weight Watchers. I just lost close to 20 pounds and I don't want to put it all back on - and more.
For a fourth - sleep. When I'm stressed, I have difficulty sleeping. I'm going to try and slow down the end of the day by reading, doing Compline, and entrusting all my cares to the Lord. He is greater and smarter than I. There is nothing too hard for the Lord to deal with.
We all deal with stressful situations and people, don't we? I pray that you deal with stress better than I did last week. Cast all your cares on the Lord because He cares about you. That's what I'm going to do.
