Stress Anyone?

Here are a couple of suggestions that might be helpful for those less-than-perfect days.

I could have been stressed before I even got out of bed this morning! (Ever been there? Something about this time of year perhaps?) As I was thinking, my list of things to do just kept getting bigger and bigger. And then I remembered something Elisabeth Elliot once said on one of her “Gateway to Joy” radio broadcasts. She was talking about being overwhelmed with life and mothers having too much to do. Her advice was to sincerely go to the Lord, tell him about your day and ask for guidance. Then, and this is the HARD part, let it go and just do the next thing. Just do the next thing—all day long.

Don’t get distracted and overwhelmed by everything on your plate. Trust that if you keep a prayer in your heart, Heavenly Father will guide you and tell you the next thing to do. It will be obvious and you will feel good about it, even if it seems strange at the time. If at the end of the day everything on the list is not done, you will have done what the Lord wants you to do, and therefore you will have done the most important things.

It reminds me of the scripture: “This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark…” (Philippians 3:13 &14)

So hopefully starting the day with prayer and doing the next thing will help our days to run more smoothly and relieve some of the stress. Something else to keep in mind is TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. How often to women just run over the top of themselves to try to get everything done, and how many women end up sick or depressed after it’s all done? Been there. Done That. Not worth it! It’s not worth the lasting effects on you, and it’s not worth the effects on your family.

Here’s a great Korean proverb that sums it up beautifully: “Before we climb the mountain, Let’s Eat First!” (Helena learned that in Korea when she was there as a missionary.)

What mountains are you climbing today? Have you adequately prepared? And are you taking care of yourself? See you at the Top!