Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Too Blessed to be Stressed!


I've always been a pretty laid-back person, but these days it seems difficult to find something in our daily life that DOESN'T stress us out- Waiting in long lines at a grocery store that's equipped with 24 checkout counters but only has 3 open, sitting in traffic, soaring gas prices, reduced income, endless laundry piles etc. Everywhere we go we are surrounded by rude, grumpy, stressed out people who are trying to drag us down-those "Misery loves company" kind of people, and it's so tempting to join their pity parties....

A few weeks ago my 10 minute drive to work turned into 90 minutes because there was a fatal accident on the highway. All of the other people in the cars around me were obviously stressing out as we tried alternate routes, and still moved no faster than 10mph. I however, had just discovered a neat little Bible app on my phone that gave me free access to hundreds of podcasts of famous sermons. So, while I was stuck in traffic I had the opportunity to listen to 3 sermons on the topic of love and marriage, 2 of which were from Father Al Lauer and the 3rd from Joel Osteen. While everyone around me was huffing and puffing and honking their horns, I was listening to God's word and learning ways to make my marriage better. I felt so blessed in that moment that I was fortunate enough to be DRIVING to my JOB and reflecting on my MARRIAGE, while another person had died on their way into work. I was going to get to live that day, while the other person was not. While so many others on the road had let that one thing ruin their whole day, I was feeling more blessed than ever and made sure that I made the most of every second in that day.

A few days after that happened, I was cooking dinner for my husband and listening to another Joel Osteen podcast. He was talking about how we should "display our joy", put a smile on our face, and be cheerful. No matter what are circumstances are, we should "smile by faith". We need to remember that everyday is a day the Lord has made, and we are so blessed to be a part of it. 

All of a sudden that song, "Whistle while you work" popped into my head, and I found myself singing and dancing around the kitchen as I finished preparing dinner and washing the dishes. My husband was wondering why I was so happy- I said, "Why shouldn't I be? I just prepared a lovely meal that I get to share with you in our happy little home". It immediately brought a smile to his face, and the tired, depleted face of a man who just finished a 16 hour shift was completely transformed.

Even when we are feeling overwhelmed and stressed we need to remember to be kind and smile; then the joy will follow. Our husbands, our children, and our friends will all benefit from a home that is full of joy, and that joy starts with us! My husband is often surrounded with sadness and despair at the hospital, & it's my job to remind him of all the reasons we have to be joyful and happy!

People often pray for the difficult things in their life to get better and then wait for good things to come, but that is backwards thinking. We need to first smile and be cheerful, and then God will grant us his Blessings and anoint us with the oil of Joy- Hebrew 1:9

This morning I heard a beautiful song "Blessings" that again made me feel "Too Blessed to be Stressed". One line said, "What if the trials of this life are your mercies in disguise?". I think we are surrounded by stressors on Earth to remind us of all the blessings that come with the life of God. Whether things seem to be going perfect or you feel you're at your wit's end, remember to count your blessings in that moment, because we never know how many more moments in this life God will bless us with. 

Listen to this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOOFAaUGfRE&feature=related  and remember, we are Too Blessed to be Stressed!

Prayers for homes that are full of Joy & Laughter! 

6 comments:

  1. Sherida just sent me your blog link and I thanked her!!! I's so refreshing to hear someone give voice to the (not-so-politically-correct) idea that we can feel BLESSED to be called to be wives and mothers. Keep up the wonderful blog! Keep up your joyous outlook. I too am blessed to be married to my best friend (just celebrated 19 yrs). I will pray for you and your marriage that you continue to find joy in all the simple realities of the life God has given you.
    Have a wonderful day and God Bless,
    Cynthia
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  2. Hi Cynthia,

    Thank you so much for your comment and your prayers! I really appreciate your encouragement!! :)

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  3. I am so working on finding that joy in the day - to not let the stress take that away:) It's all about changing our perspective and putting it on God isn't it!

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  4. What an encouragement!! thank you so much for sharing!! you are absolutely correct that it is our responsibility as wife and mother to create the haven of joy and love for our home! Oh what a blessed reminder! Thank you for sharing your heart. I am stopping by from Titus 2 Tuesdays =) It's nice to meet you!!

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  5. This is good advice whether you believe in God or not. I was recently waiting in a blood draw center, feeling very depressed that I have a thyroid condition that I have to deal with all the time- and there was a woman waiting there with her teenage son, who obviously had some form of mild mental retardation. I heard her on the phone with a doctor saying he had some kind of chromosomal deletion syndrome that led to heart problems. She seemed very calm and upbeat. I guess people learn how to move through their days gracefully, even in a situation like that. My heart went out to them and I realized my problems are nothing, really, compared to so many people. It's hard to keep that perspective day in and day out but I think its important to try. Thanks for such a thoughtful blog you have. You know I don't really believe in God and yet I share all your sentiments and you always give me something to think about.

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  6. Thank you all for your comments!! It's nice to meet you too Kelli! T- thanks for sharing your story- whether one chooses to thank God for the good things in their life or not, it's always a good thing to recognize that no matter what stress you are dealing with, it could always be worse, and there are so many wonderful things in life to appreciate!

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