6 Letter Word That Starts With "S"

Can you guess the word? We've all felt it a time or two. Or daily. Weekly. Monthly.

STRESS. That dreaded 6 letter word we are all afraid to even talk about. We keep it all bottled inside until we erupt like a volcano....words spit out like fiery venomous darts to whomever is unlucky enough to be in a personal space. Which in the end makes us feel downright horrible. Lowest of the low.

That's how I use to be until I started to see my stress as a blessing. Yes you read that right. Sometimes it's not easy, it may take me a bit to get there, but in the end God always shows me the TRUENESS of my stress.

I am in the process of becoming a first time home buyer. The process is long and daunting. I was anxious and stressing out about putting in an offer. I prayed. I was torn and a little scared. It was a big step for me. God told me to put the offer in and trust HIM. Even if I didn't get the outcome I was hoping for. He wanted me to step out in FAITH. And I did just that. Was the outcome everything I had hoped for. NOPE. I would be lying if I didn't say I was a tad bit bummed. But I was also excited because instead of letting my stress control me I let God lead me. It was a wonderful freeing feeling. Through my stress & anxiety I learned to let go and let God have His way.

If we just step away from what is stressing us out, what is making us angry little spit fires, we can learn not only something about ourselves but about WHO our wonderful heavenly Father is. There are lessons to be learned in our stress.

Too much on your to-do list? Learn to delegate. Have a hard time asking for help? Start small. In a rut and not sure your next move? Step back, read scripture, and just talk to the Father. Whatever you are obsessing over and robbing your life of joy, take a pause. I'm serious. PAUSE. Repeat to yourself how much God loves you and will never leave your side. Ask Him for guidance. Be open and aware of His movements and what He may want you to learn from it all.

And the BEST OF ALL.......give your Father some worship time! There is no space for stress, anxiety, fear, anger, hopelessness when you are praising the One True King!

We will never be stress-less while living in this world. But how we handle it shows how much we trust and rely on our Lord.