Stressing Steals the Blessing
"Too Blessed to be Stressed" is a well used phrase that some folks use when asked how they are doing. One gentleman in our church is oft heard to say this very motto. In its expression is the notion that we are truly blessed and to let stress cloud our vision speaks to a frail faith in the Lord who orchestrates our life and oversees our journey.
Lately, everyone can claim a certain amount of stress has tested our faith and in some of us has found it wanting. Stress from the pandemic has brought lost jobs, uncertain futures, and an erosion of trust in everything from government to God. The fallout from the ongoing rollercoaster ride known as covid-19 continues to tear at our ability to breathe with a regular cycle and function in any way that reflects an understanding of peace.
Each person decides in their heart how they will live. That internal moral compass guides us forward and we make decisions that reflect our belief system. In effect, our world view drives the vehicle we know as life. Either there is God at the center of our world view and out of this belief comes trust and hope or there is a vague vacuum of self-generated feelings that control our surroundings that leave us twisting in the wind. Blessings of God then are a vital part of a life that is lived with purpose and hope. If there is one thing covid-19 has bombarded, it is blessings that give birth to hope.
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." (Romans 5:1-5, NIV)
If all that befalls us is larger than our view of God, then we have already lost contact with peace and blessing. On the other hand, if God is at the center of our everyday thought process, then all that befalls us is insignificant compared to the glory which we have inherited.
"For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. “Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house,”[a] bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory. " (Hebrews 3:4-6, NIV)
(Sunbeams from atop Paintersville, PA)
Today begins with hope and a promise from God. We can decide to focus on the stressors around us and lose sight of blessings. Or, we can set our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith and live with courage, trust, and joy. What will you do with today?
"A Musing Pastor"