***There’s an important announcement later in the post, so be sure to read to the end. ***
If I had to guess, I’d say I’m not the only one who’s recently experienced some stressful times.
As I mentioned last week, May was a CRAY-ZAY month. It’s taken me this far into June to begin to feel a little (a very little) more rested.
Part of what led to exhaustion was living in a constant state of stress. A number of unexpected situations added to an already busy, end-of-school/graduation celebration month.
At times I found myself hardly able to breathe. I prayed for strength and grace. I craved understanding in the middle of it all.
And I pushed through, because that was what was necessary. Stressful times steal a lot from us. Last Sunday, our worship pastor shared something that stopped me hard. As his family struggles with a difficult situation with their son, he said something to the effect of how he wants understanding first, and then he’ll find peace in that.
That statement paused me. How I yearn to understand the why’s of a tough situation, convinced that if I understand, then I can find peace in that.
If we understand why a loved one is suffering from some kind of illness . . .
. . . that needed job eludes us…
. . . a child continually rebels . . .
. . . the relationship remains broken . . .
. . . an unexpected health crisis . . .
. . . the __________ you fill in the blank
Then we can be at peace with the situation.
Please say I’m not the only one who yearns for the reassurance of a why in the middle of a stressful time.
But God doesn’t operate within our need to know why. Instead, he asks us to have faith, even when we don’t understand.
One Truth That Offers Peace in Stressful Times—But God doesn’t operate within our need to know why. Instead, he asks us to have faith even when we don’t understand. #tellhisstory #stressfultimes #trustinggod Click To Tweet
The Truth That Helps in Stressful Times
It’s in placing our faith in God—believing He’s working in the midst of the hard—that we find peace. We must choose to trust Him in the middle of the pain if we want to experience His peace.
God wants us to find our peace in Him, whether or not we understand.
As I considered this through the filter of my past six weeks, I realized part of the reason I felt so much stress was because I’d sought peace in the wrong places. This led to me feeling a lot of anxiety.
When unexpected circumstances piled heavy on my shoulders, I felt stressed. Why? Because I felt like I had to carry it all on my own. I wanted God’s peace, but on my terms.
God wanted me to know peace in the middle of the stressful season. But that could only come when I looked for peace in Him.
He isn’t surprised when a number of difficult circumstances push their way into our lives at the same time. God also doesn’t expect us to handle them on our own. Let’s face it, our ability to walk in peace in our own strength is limited. When we arrive at the end of our resources, we find ourselves struggling with stress.
When we trust ourselves more than our Father, stress bears down heavy on us.
One Truth That Offers Peace in Stressful Times—When we trust ourselves more than our Father, stress bears down heavy on us. #tellhisstory #stressfultimes #trustinggod Click To TweetThe best way to navigate stressful times is to choose to trust God when too much piles on us, when we don’t understand, when life feels out of control.
As long as we live this side of heaven, we will walk through stressful seasons. What can we do to walk through anxiety-raising times and still experience God’s peace?
What to Do When We Feel Stressed
If we find ourselves shaking on the inside, feeling overwhelmed, or only taking shallow breaths, it’s time to identify the source of our stress. Chances are, it’s not the actual circumstance so much as our response to it.
We need to ask God for His perspective, His wisdom, and then act on it.
And, we must choose to hold those stress-inducing thoughts—beliefs—up to God with open hands. We can ask Him to take them, trusting He’ll help us with them.
If God has allowed hard things to invade our daily rhythm, then He plans to help us carry them. He will take care of us as we walk through them. Our role is to trust our Father and hold His hand.
If you’re walking through a stressful time right now—stop. Identify what’s causing the stress, and give it to the Father. Trust that He is walking close beside you, ready to bring you through.
What about you? What helps you get through stressful seasons? When has God shown up in a stressful time in your life?
Announcement!
***And now, for a fun, important announcement: If you’ve been here for very long, you’ve read Lisa Jordan’s words on the fourth Tuesday of most months. Lisa and I have decided to collaborate with the #TellHisStory link up. Here’s the skinny: I will host the link up at my site on the first, third, and occasional fifth Tuesdays of the month. Lisa will host the link up at her site on the second and fourth Tuesdays each month beginning next week. If you don’t find the link up here, head over to Lisa’s place and link up your encouraging posts!
For some reason, the links for Lisa’s site didn’t change color. If you hover over “Lisa’s place” and it doesn’t provide the link, here is the address. So sorry for the inconvenience! (https://lisajordanbooks.com/blog/). I’ll be working to fix this today.
Come share your story at the #TellHisStory #linkup. Connect and be encouraged by like-minded friends! Click To TweetMost weeks, I link up with Grace and Truth, Anita Ojeda, Instaencouragements, and sometimes Let’s Have Coffee. Come join and read more encouraging posts!
Each week we gather here as storytellers, word weavers, and encouragers to make His name known. Our story is God’s story and this small corner of the blogging world, where we come together each Tuesday, needs you. This is a place where poetry, snapshots, prayers, and stories find a safe spot to nod in agreement that what we have to say matters. I am glad you are here and would love to have you join the #TellHisStory community. Add your own encouraging post through the link below. Spread some love by visiting your neighbor and leaving your own encouragement. Click here to read more about the #TellHisStory community and find a button to add to your site.
Each week we gather here as storytellers, word weavers, and encouragers to make His name known. Our story is God’s story and this small corner of the blogging world, where we come together each Tuesday, needs you. This is a place where poetry, snapshots, prayers, and stories find a safe spot to nod in agreement that what we have to say matters. I am glad you are here and would love to have you join the #TellHisStory community. Add your own encouraging post through the link below. Spread some love by visiting your neighbor and leaving your own encouragement. Click here to read more about the #TellHisStory community and find a button to add to your site.
Such a good insight that your worship pastor offered, Jeanne. We want to understand so we can have peace, but God wants us to come to Him so we can experience peace. You’re not alone in wanting to know why—I’ve banged my head against that wall more times than I care to remember. Thank you for sharing this wisdom with us this week. I’m glad that you’ve gotten a little more rest lately, and I think collaborating with Lisa on the Iinkup is a great idea. 🙂
Hey friend, please forgive my very delayed response! Yes, God does want us to come to Him so we can experience peace. 🙂
Thanks for the update on the link up! (Just wanted to prove I read til the end. Ha!)
Lauren, you made me laugh. 😉
Love your pictures ~ nature expressing emotions! Your words are so well placed! life was never meant to be a water slide; mre like a jungle path full of vines, and rocks, and scary critters. As you expressed so well the answer to reaching the “other side” is keeping connection with our God, trusting Him when we encounter the critter or twisting vine, or whatever scares us. . . God promises to walk with us, stay with us, guide us, help us. If we hold onto Him and His promises, we never have to walk alone, and we can rest in Him.
Thanks, mama. When we choose to keep connection with God, even when we can’t see for the jungle’s denseness, we will walk in confidence, for He walks with us. Thanks so much for the word picture and the reminders!
Oh, this one gets me. Too often I think I have to “understand” everything before I can accept it. But that’s not the way things work. It’s not the way God works. Sometimes he explains; sometimes he doesn’t. Sometimes we can understand; sometimes we can’t. “We must choose to trust Him in the middle of the pain if we want to experience His peace.” Yes! May I continue growing in this. Thanks, Jeanne.
Lisa, I’m glad—and sorry—we have this “need to understand” trait in common. I so resonated with your insights here. And yes, we must choose to trust the Lord in the middle of the pain if we want to experience HIs peace. May we both continue growing in this. Thanks for stopping by!
An insightful post about trusting God and seeking His perspective on stressful situations. Thank you, Jeanne! Your photos looks like a great place for relieving some stress amid beautiful flowers. Was it Glen Eyrie?
Kathy, thanks for your kind words. And yes, the photos were taken at Glen Eyrie. 😉
Jeanne, the beautiful gardens – are they yours?
Actually, Susan, those gardens are not mine. Man, wouldn’t it be wonderful if they were! I love visiting there, though, because God’s peace rests there.
Great post, Jeanne. This line resonated with me: “If God has allowed hard things to invade our daily rhythm, then He plans to help us carry them. He will take care of us as we walk through them.”
There is going to be a change in my schedule; but I don’t have to fear. He knows about it and already plans to help me through it! What a comfort!
Jerralea, isn’t it amazing that God isn’t constrained by time like we are? I hope your schedule change goes smoothly and that you do, indeed, experience His peace and reassurance through it!
I see Heaven just ahead,
I hear its sweet clear bells
beyond the valley of the dead,
the road that leads through hell
that I know I must still walk
to gain the Golden Door,
but something in me wants to balk,
not do this any more,
for there has been so much, you see,
of pain and things I will not say,
and though I want God’s destiny,
for Pete’s sake, not this way!
And then I sigh, shoulder my load,
for there can be no other road.
You are quite a poet; so good about expressing your thoughts and feelings Andrew! God bless you with strength and courage!
Mary, thank you so much!
Andrew, this is beautiful. And so honest. When we come to the place of trusting God on the hard roads, we find His peace and His presence. I continue to pray for you, my friend.
You are not alone Jeanne! When I understand, I find peace in that. Your post was encouraging to me today as I am navigating a season of stress (that seems eternal). Such a good reminder to get God’s perspective on things; mine is truly short-sighted!
Donna, I’m sorry you’re in a season of stress. Been there. Living that. Thank goodness God is with us, even in these times. May you know His peace and reassurance in this season!
I’m sitting here thinking, trying to remember a time I asked, “Why God?” And I can’t. I love a good plot in a book – I want all the whys to match up – but maybe with God as a child I wouldn’t dare ask him, “Why.” Yet, I have asked Him for healing, to stand with me, for prayers to be answered, for strength and courage in the wait of a prayer sent out, for salvation for those I love – but not why. I tell my boys, “What does God want you to learn through this situation?” Maybe that is a why – but then God uses all situations satan creates to draw his children closer to him – that’s how he redeems those situations. My grandson asks why all the time now – a gazillion times a day. Maybe I never thought myself an important enough person to rail against God. Instead, I wanted to lean into Him. What a thought-provoking post you’ve written, Jeanne!
Maryleigh, it’s fascinating to learn how others process situations and invite God into them. Our Father is pretty amazing in that, He’s not afraid of our questions, even our “Why?”. He doesn’t always answer them, but He doesn’t turn away from us. Instead, He draws us closer to Himself. You taught your sons some good things using that question, “What does God want you to learn through this?” You have a tender heart toward our Lord, Maryleigh. Thank you for sharing a piece of your heart here!
“Chances are, it’s not the actual circumstance so much as our response to it.” I pray you are breathing easier these days, Jeanne! Our stressful seasons can also be a learning season, can’t they? I’ve just left my job of over 16 years and earlier than I planned, but know it was time. There is some peace in it but I do have some fear of the future. (Where will I work next? Will I be wanted in another job at 56 years old?) The stress of it has overwhelmed me shown in lack of writing, blogging, and photography! Where is the stress coming from? What a great question! Fear, I’d say, and this is an opportunity to dig deeper in what God’s word teaches about fear. May you be among the flowers again today. Lovely shots!
Hello, my friend. Yes, breathing is coming a little easier these days. 🙂 Stressful seasons can definitely be times when we learn! The decision to leave your job must have been a big one. God’s time table is often different from our own. I will pray for you as God reveals His next steps. May the Lord fill you with His grace and peace in this uncertain season, my friend.
I love the truth in your words, my friend. Especially this–“Instead, he asks us to have faith even when we don’t understand.” So often, we want to know the why but He’s asking us to trust Him without question. I’ve had to reframe my thinking from “Why, God?” to “What do you want me to learn through this, God?” Great post! And I’m excited for our linkup partnership.
Lisa, it’s in the choosing faith in God over knowing the Why that gives us peace. I love the question you use to reframe those “Why?’s” that come into your head. Set on, my friend! I’m so excited to be doing Tell His Story with you!
I know your statement well Jeanne,
“We must choose to trust Him in the middle of the pain if we want to experience His peace.”
I find this true through the challenging times in living with chronic health issues now & when I lost my two children & husband.
It’s in the trusting that His peace comes in full measure especially when pain in a constant companion.
Blessings,
Jennifer
Jennifer, yes. When we trust that God’s peace comes in full measure, even in the midst of pain, that seems to help in the walking through the pain. Thanks for sharing your personal experiences!
This is a powerful piece, Jeanne. Those are big truths that God doesn’t operate in the same realm to know why. Honestly, I’ve let stress rob my peace more than I care to admit. And most of it was because I trusted myself more than God.
Glad you’re back and excited Lisa is taking the wheel several weeks a month.
Thanks for your encouraging words,Karen. True . . . God doesn’t operate in the same realm as we do. Thank goodness! I’ve allowed stress to rob me of my peace too. I wish I could say I’ve since figured it all out. Sadly, I’m still learning, sometimes on a moment-by-moment basis. Thanks for joining us this week!
Yes to all this. Even in the busiest times, we can mindfully attend to the state of our hearts, inviting God into the stress. After all, he is already there…
Is Lisa’s blog called Lisa Jordan Books?
Michele, I appreciate the you said about mindfully attending to the state of our hearts. Yes to inviting God into ALL the states of our heart! And yes, by now, hopefully you’ve found Lisa’s blog. Sorry about the confusion. For some reason I had a lot of trouble adding the link to the post. Grrr. Technology.
That’s true–we want to know why, we want things to make sense. I remember the first time it hit me that Job was never told (as far as we know) about what was going on in the heavenlies leading up to his trials. God wants us just to trust Him. We have every reason to–He has proved Himself trustworthy and faithful in the past.
Could you share a link to Lisa’s blog? Thanks!
Barbara, I’m the queen of wanting to know WHY. I love your reminder that God never revealed to Job the Why behind his trials. He was such an amazing man . . .trusting God in the midst of everything. But you’re right. God has shown Himself to be trustworthy in the past, and He’ll continue to be trustworthy in our present and future.