As the college life has gotten into full swing with exams and papers amongst all of the other various devices of torture teachers seem to put students through I have noticed a very familiar look. It's most commonly distinguishable symptoms are: sweating, breathing hard, long exhales, slouched backs, heavy eyelids, and (especially in guys) messy hair. I'm speaking of course of the common crippler of our society known as stress. Now obviously I'm no doctor, so don't expect this to be some sort of medical breakdown of why stress is bad. I simply just want to share a story and try my hardest to give some helpful advice.
It all began in my hustle and bustle of the beginning of the semester, in which after my academic breeze of a Freshman year I was certainly not ready for. I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off, bouncing from class to class, paper to paper, book to book, ministry to ministry; when I felt this drag on my life and my heart. It seemed like no matter how much time I put into all these things, there was always more to be done. I was stretching myself as far as I could go and was barely passing by. It was then that our little friend stress hit me. I was hit with this pressing question: Can you really do all this? My good buddy stress just loved to keep throwing that question at me as I spent the majority of my free time in a theology or psychology book, only to have a ministry meeting that I had to be at in an hour. I was feeling inadequate, insufficient, and even quite frankly pathetic. If I couldn't handle this, how would I ever survive the wears and tears of the ministry God has called me to?
And once again God brought me back to one of his foundations. Psalm 46: 10 says "Be still and know I am God..." As a guy who didn't think he had time to get everything he had to get done to begin with, I thought God was nuts by telling me to take time to just be still. Under the weight of stress, and feelings of inadequacy this just didn't make sense. It was in that moment that it finally clicked what God was trying to tell me.
"Be still and know that I am God" See my biggest problem was not the amount of time in the day, but who was controlling that time. In my head, these were my problems and I had to solve them. There were MY responsibilities and therefore I had to fix them. Looking back I imagine God just anticipating the day i realized my arrogance, that me one of his creatures looking up at him and saying "Hey listen I know you're God and everything, and I know you are all powerful but let me take care of these problems." In my stupidity I had in my mind told God how big my mountains were, instead of telling my mountains how big my GOD is!
And as I hit my knees and begged for forgiveness of my arrogance and ignorance, something strange happened: the weight that had been holding me down and straining my heart was lifted. It was as if God was saying to me "Ahhh finally, I've been waiting on you to ask"
In the midst of the papers, and friendships I had forgotten one basic thing. GOD IS ALL POWERFUL AND HE REIGNS!!!!!!!!!!! He wants to help out his children and he is MORE than able to help out his children. He is just waiting on us to stop running around from distraction to distraction and sit back and ask for his help, to say "God I can't but you can, let me follow you"
So as mid terms are approaching, if you start or are currently feeling the little crippling vermin stress start creeping around. Remember, as one of his children you are not alone. He is your Father, he not only wants to help out his children.... he loves to!!! So like any good child does when they are in over their head, run behind your father and grab a hold of his pant leg and trust that he will make it all right. So simply put if you got stress, be still!!!
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