Three Things I Did To Lower Stress

 

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him. Psalm 42:5

My husband had gotten home that afternoon from a business trip and left his stuff in the living room floor. I had come home from work in the early afternoon to find my children locked out on the front porch. I had forgotten it was an early dismissal day! We had finished dinner and though the dishes were done, there was still a mess to be put away and organized from the day.

The doorbell rang and I went to answer it wondering who would be there. Initially, when I saw a friend from church I wondered what she wanted. It came to me immediately, she was the first of several who would arrive and expect me to have a dessert and coffee prepared and a clean house for a meeting.

In those days I was living stressed from day to day. I missed meetings, forgot my children’s’ schedules, and regularly felt like I was not getting things done. I was working part-time, teaching Sunday School and sitting on a couple of committees at church and school, and raising my family (including all the cooking and cleaning, sports schedules, scouts, etc.)

I live in much less stress these days. Some of that is because my children have grown up. But, the work I do now is harder for me than the work I did then. It was ruled by hours and a boss. Now, I have to be self-disciplined and if I don’t get it done, no one is going to complete it for me!

What is different? Here are the three things I can put my finger on that made a huge difference in my life:

1. I changed my priorities.

I am taking credit for something God did. Though I was very active in my church when the incident above happened, I did not know the Lord. I was working and doing so much to impress God. I was working my way to heaven. Once God showed  me my flawed thinking and I invited Christ to be Lord of my life, things changed. The greatest work He has given me was the call of raising my children. God called me away from the workforce (very difficult for me at the time) to be at home.

The relief of not working and having time to think were huge for me. I could read my Bible and listen to the Lord for the first time ever.

2. We started living on a budget.

Financial fears were big for me. We were not people who accrued a lot of debt but we lived paycheck to paycheck on two incomes. Before I left work the Lord led me to a money course that opened my eyes. We started to live on one income for a time to see if we could. We did, when we stuck to the budget. To this day we live on a budget. I never have to worry about big annual insurance bills or car repairs bills that come unexpectedly. We set aside money each month so we are prepared and are able to consistently give to the Lord’s work.

What a relief!

3. I spent time with the Lord in prayer and study.

We cannot out-give God. The more time I spent in his Word, the more He was able to show me other things I could do to relieve stress in my life. He showed me I needed to pay more attention to my husband and stand united with him before our children. He convicted me of inconsistencies in the discipline of our children and the need to point them to Him. I started to put my home and family above other things and there was more peace there.

My husband rescued me that night the doorbell rang “unexpectedly.” He ran out and bought and prepared a beautiful, lady-like dessert for us while the kids and I quickly gathered up what we could and hid it before everyone else arrived.

I believe the Lord rescued me from the stress in my life with these three things as a start. Do you think they might help you?