Spiritual PerspectivesOur approach toward our spirituality makes a difference in our stress level. Rest Through Obeying God You may not have thought of it in this way, but being obedient to God is restful for our body. When you think about it, most sinful acts are very stressful to our body: anger, immorality, selfishness, or drunkenness. When we sin we are hurting ourselves, and those around us. Uncontrolled anger in a home is extremely stressful for all. God knows how he made us, and he knows what works well for our own health. In giving us his laws, he was helping us, like a parent who tells her child not to go out in the street. The child may think, “How limiting”. But the Parent knows better. When we obey God, we are de-stressing our life, and the life of our spouse and children. The Sabbath Rest Interestingly, God, in the Bible, addressed the concept of rest over 4,000 years ago. One of the Ten Commandments was to remember the Sabbath. The Sabbath was a day away from commerce, and a day with God. Jesus said that the Sabbath was given to us as a gift, a time to get strength. Time away from the “chores” of life gives our body time to get refreshed and strengthened. It allows us to replenish the storehouse of energy. Time getting to know God also strengthens us. God is not stressed, he is not uptight, he is not beside himself, and he takes things in stride. As we learn about his perspective on life it can really relax us. I believe we are not made to carry the weight of all this by ourselves. Forgiveness Reduces Stress One of the greatest stresses I experience is resentment toward other people. When someone drives to close to my car to be safe, or the telephone company rips me off with the small print in their contract, or someone treats me unfairly, it is so easy for me to build up resentment. The problem is, while I am lying in bed seething, the recipient of my thoughts is having a wonderful, peaceful sleep. I only know of one way to get rid of my anger. I have to remember how much I have hurt and offended God, but that he loves me. He loved me enough to die on the cross to forgive me. I have blossomed under his forgiveness for me. As I have been forgiven, I need to forgive. As I forgive others, something wonderful happens in me, I am at peace, and my anxiety level reduces. I am helped because I forgave another person. If you do not know about the forgiveness the God can give you through a relationship with Christ you can ask anyone who was involved with the program this evening, and they would love to tell you about how to experience God’s forgiveness. Thought Questions: Is there someone you or I need to forgive? Is there someone we need to forgive as a couple? Is there a spiritual area of obedience that I need to change? How can we find more time to rest as a family? How can we encourage reflection on God together as a family, without stressing the family?
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