Stress...

Stress is not about what happens to us.  It's about how we react to what happens to us, and our reaction... is a choice.  You can choose to react negatively, get angry, pitch a fit, or you can choose to react calmly with the understanding that it is only temporary, and it will eventually pass.  The way we as Christians react to situations or to others who have made us angry or just plain gotten on our nerves and stressed us out, says more about our walk with Christ than any words we could speak.  Simply put, "actions speak louder than words".  Any Dr. will tell you, stress is a killer.  It causes high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, cancer.  I believe the secret to handling any kind of stress is in keeping a constant, open dialog with God.  1 Thessalonians 5:17 says "pray without ceasing."  I remember hearing a pastor quote that verse when I was much younger and thinking to myself, "Yeah, right.  There's no way I could pray all the time."  But what that actually means is, keep the dialog open during your daily life.  Talk to God like He's sitting in the seat beside you... He IS with you always.  It was hard at first, but now it's second nature.  I whisper little prayers all throughout the day.  I thank Him for victories and happy moments. I praise Him for the beauty I see around me.  I seek His comfort when I'm upset or angry.  I ask Him for help.  Just that simple act in a moment of anxiety, stress, anger, or panic of whispering to God, "oh help" releases a hundred pounds of stress from my shoulders because I know He IS my help.

Psalm 54:4 - "Surely God is my help.  The Lord is the One who sustains me."

Psalm 121:2 - "My help comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth."