Detox

It is too much! I cannot go on! I cannot do this! I have reached the end of my rope! These are the comments which come out of my mouth when the stress has become too much. I vent. Often my words are unkind and self-serving. God has been convicting me of my sin--not only for putting too much emphasis on the wrong things in my life but also for my responses to stress. I have been working on techniques to get my emotions back on an even keel in a manner which is pleasing to my Lord and Savior.

1. My first response to difficulty is to do something. I want to make it better—to fix it. I barge forward with what I think should be done. My ideas are usually good but my methodology is wrong-minded. I think people should see and understand things the way I see and understand things. When they do not, anger can start to set in. Often I have buried anger and let others not jumping on board be the trigger to let it loose. If anger is not in the picture, then I fret over what might happen. God has tailor-made a verse for me. “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret — it leads only to evil. For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.” (Psalm 37:7-9 NIV) I am learning to stop and pray first. It is much more productive. It calms my need to do something. It slows me down so I can see the correct God-given response.

2. Sometimes I try the escapist route. I grab a fiction book I have been wanting to read, fix a pot or coffee, and head to the basement where I will not be bothered. I just want to be away from people. At times like these, it is a good idea for me to get away from people because my patience is nonexistent and a good book is a wonderful way to escape, but the better way I have found is to grab my Bible and do as Jesus did. “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.” (Luke 6:12 NIV) Giving my concerns and frustrations to God is so much better than a cup of coffee and a fiction book.

3. When life seems to be pressing in on me but nothing is really that bad, I turn to nature. I sit on my deck taking in the birds, squirrels, and flowers in the yard. I go to a local nature trail and relax as I walk through the trees and prairie grasses. Or I head for some water and fish. I love to rig up the fly rod and calmly cast the fly. I revel in the thrill of catching a gorgeous trout or bass and the joy of turning it back into the water to swim to safety. God has made nature for us to enjoy and preserve. “God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground…God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning — the sixth day.” (Genesis 1:28,31 NIV)

When life has been moving on at a hectic pace and things have not been going as I desired, the very best way for me to calm myself is to bathe myself in God. God is shaping me. I used to always turn to myself when my life situation was causing me stress. Now I am learning to turn to God and it works. I do that in several ways. Each method I use has a place and a time for when it is most appropriate.

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” Psalm 90:1-2 NIV

So if I truly want to have peace and calm during the times of turmoil, I must turn to God first.

Lord, make me aware of the times I try to solve life stressors using my meager human skills. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, show me your way.