Stress management

A co-worker passed this on. Not entirely Scriptural, but interesting. See my comment at the end.

A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to 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." He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management.” If we carry our burdens 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." So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. So, my friend put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while.

Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

1. Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.
   
   
2. Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
   
   
3. Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
   
4. Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.
   
   
5. If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
   
   
6. It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply - be kind to others.
   
   
7. Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.
   
   
8. Nobody cares if you can't dance well, just get up and dance.
   
   
9. When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
   
   
10. Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
    
    
11. You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
    
    
12. We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.
    
    
13. A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour
    

Scriptural perspective:

1. Purpose: Philipians 3:8-10, "Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death"
   
   
2. Burdens: Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
   
   
3. Anxiety: Philipians 4:6, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;"