I get it. You're busy. You're stressed. There's so much to do and not enough time to do it.
"How will I fit all of this in this week? I can do this on Tuesday, but then when will I sleep? Do I really need sleep? I mean I can probably get a quick power nap in after this…yeah, no. Sleep is not happening this week."
It seems like there are not enough hours in the day to do all that we have to do. Can I get an amen? I am someone who loves making to-do lists, but when I have a big to-do list and only 24 hours to do it, I get stressed. Overwhelmed. Frustrated. I hate when I get that way! I'm sure you do too.
But you know what? Jesus comes to save the day. Including our sanity, it we're being real here. Stress is no gift of the Lord. He doesn't want us to be overwhelmed or frustrated. You don't need to be overwhelmed or feel frustrated. You used to, but then you met Jesus.
"But it's 2016…Do you even realize how busy that is?" Yes! Oh believe me, I do! I know that you have the job with the huge deadline in 4 days. I know that you're in the class that has 20 pages of work plus an essay to write. I know that you have to workout, clean your house and do laundry. I do too! But you don't have to handle life the way the world does because you have the peace of Jesus.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
We don't have to feel overwhelmed or frustrated or stressed because we can talk to God and tell him our problems. The peace of Jesus is eminent. The faith in our God, is here. However, we choose to put those things on the back burner. I'm guilty of doing it too. We choose to get stressed, instead of giving our stress to God. Jesus gets that we're human, that we often get caught up in life. We lay our heart at the feet of Jesus. But then, we pick it back up and take it into our own hands. That's when we try do everything in our own strength. Then we get stressed. Overwhelmed. Frustrated. Cranky. All of those things.
That's when we need to give our hearts back to Jesus.
Your heart is a place ruled by peace. Love. Joy. Kindness. Jesus redeemed that heart. Yes, it's still busy and sometimes frazzled, but you have Jesus in your heart. So the next time you feel yourself getting overwhelmed, stressed, frazzled, whatever it may be, lay it at the feet of God. Let it go and let him take control of it.
In chaos we have peace. In confusion we have faith. In stressful times we have joy. And when people ask, "How?" We can say, "Jesus."
"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts." Colossians 3:15
