AT THE RIGHT MOMENT ONE DAY AT A TIME

AT THE RIGHT MOMENT ONE DAY AT A TIME

We live in a fast paced, hurried, noisy, and stressful world.

I met a friend who came from the big city, relocating his work and family in a rural town. The first thing he observed was the laid back tempo which, he found hard to adjust because he was used to the pressure loaded, edgy, and time conscious frenetic activity. 

I remember reading about a Christian missionary who visited the Bedouin nomads and lived with them for a few days. The tribe did not have the modern conveniences. They live in tents. They did not have electricity. They follow the natural rhythm of nature. They tend their flocks by day, and sleep soundly at night. They get plenty of sun, fresh air, and burn up calories  through physical work. They simply flow with the natural cycle of rest, sleep, eat, work, and fellowship.

The missionary noted the absence of debilitating stress in their way of life. 

Modern society doesn’t operate that way, anymore. It is not surprising that we have become a generation of stressed out,  irritable, high strung, impatient, unkind, and  anxious people. 

Surely there must be more to life than this. 

There is no better guide to life than God’s Word, revealed in the Bible. 

Before modern Psychology and Psychiatry, became special disciplines the Bible has already laid out the principles which could help us cope with life’s stressors.   

God designed the mind to be a very powerful force, which could bring healing and balance, if it is fully focused on the right virtues.

In his exhortation to the Christians in Philippi, St. Paul taught them to think or meditate on the things which are true, noble, just pure, lovely, admirable and praiseworthy. (Philippians 4:8)

Every day we have no control over the circumstances that come in our way. We are likely to be exposed to negative and depressing people or situations, even distressing or hurting life events.

St. Paul reveals to us this nugget of divine teaching. He says we should not allow these things to overwhelm our thoughts. To let our thoughts helplessly dwell on  life’s unwholesome stressors, would only mean a troubled, fearful mind. 

The Saintly Apostle tells us take control of our thoughts, by directing the mind to dwell outwardly on the good and godly virtues. This is the best prescription to take when we suffer from the  ill effects of seemingly unbearable stress. A mind that thinks of pure, noble, true, lovely and praiseworthy thoughts, has no place to entertain negative, fearful and harmful thoughts.

Most people are too proud to accept help in times of trouble. They are the best candidates headed for emotional and mental breakdown if they are not careful in dealing with stress.

It is not God’s will for our lives to take more than we could ever carry. When the load is too heavy, cast all your cares upon Him for He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7). The problem for most hard driving people is they often plunge and get ahead adding the worries of tomorrow to the cares of today, in a telescopic effort to be in control.

The problem is, no one can ever claim to be in absolute control, even with the best laid out plan. Only God Almighty is in control. We don’t need to get ahead of Him, because the Lord Himself goes before us. He dispenses His mercy and grace at the right moment one day at a time.   

DISCONNECTEDNESS

DISCONNECTEDNESS

The alarming rise of suicides in the wealthy city state of Singapore has been reported recently. There has been a 29 percent increase in the suicide rate mostly by young people, who suffer stress and interpersonal issues.

Despite the wealth and prosperity enjoyed by its inhabitants, Singapore has a high pressure work and school environment.  There is little or insignificant emotional and interpersonal support system, adding more woes, and loneliness, to sufferers of depression in this affluent country of 5 million people. What is interesting is suicide is punishable as an offense under Singapore law, that is, if one survives the attempt, he or she may yet serve a prison term.

We may wonder why in the midst of this affluence and prosperity, in spite of high income and standard of living, the increase in spending, the comfort of material possessions, and easy access to pleasurable pursuits, unhappiness and depression seem to have increased all the more.

I am reminded of an acquaintance who once commented that if he were a rich man he would be very happy with no problems in life and all his troubles would simply go away. I doubt, however, if all his troubles would simply vanish.

In this world we will have troubles, it does not really matter whether one is rich or not. What really matters is the assurance of Christ who said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”(John 16:33)

The Psalmist David, a King, who by the world’s standard today can be regarded as a powerful and successful figure, was a man after God’s own heart. He did not say he found happiness in his power as the anointed King of his people, or his worldly accomplishment, or possessions. He declared: “Happy is that people whose God is the Lord.”  (Psalm 144:15)

Man has been designed to find fulfillment in connecting with his Creator. Man was not intended to exist in isolation. God created the human family to be the strongest support system which sustains him as he relates to others and to life in this present world. Ultimately, man’s deepest connection is his relationship with his Creator. The increasing isolation and disconnectedness of people in some affluent societies driving them to suicidal acts is too high a price to pay.

Unless man comes to the enlightened realization that there is this gaping hole of emptiness in his heart, which keeps him restless, until he finds rest in his Creator, (St. Augustine’s Confessions) joy and happiness would continue elude him.

STRESS JUNKIE

My wife tells me that her friend wanted to see me about a problem. Then another friend comes along who has another problem. While doing some groceries an acquaintance stops me and shares his problem. I am far too civil to shut down these impositions, but a mild rebuke telling them I'm not in the free legal aid business is almost tempting.

But it is not in my form to be rude, so I bear them all, forcing a smile. In times like this I wish I could shed off my thick lawyer's hide like a molting snake would, so I could just be myself, be left alone, without having to deal with someone else's problem.

The worst thing is, once you wrestle with the problem, there is the pressure of having all the answers to every problem. This is stressful. I don't have all the answers.

Psychologists describe this as the God-complex. The desire to be in control. You begin to like the feeling, the elation of untangling other people's mess becomes a challenge. So you keep on doing it anyway, even if you don't like it. You become a stress junkie.

"Relax, man", says my friend, the intellectual bum. "You are not God, you know."