A Great Lesson on Stress

(The following, with minor adaptations, is used with permission from the Pleasant Grove OFWB Church Newsletter, January 2014) 

A young lady confidently walked around the room with a raised glass of water while leading a seminar and explaining stress management to her audience. Everyone knew she was going to ask the question, “Half empty or half full?” She fooled them all. “How heavy is this glass of water?” she inquired with a smile. Answers callout ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”

She continued, “…and that’s the way it is with stress. If we carry our burden all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on.

As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with the burden – holding stress at bay a little longer.

So tonight, put all your burdens down and sleep well. If they await you tomorrow, you will be refreshed and able to meet their challenge. Better still, give them to God…His arms never get tired!