This is the time of the year when we are all especially stressed. More so if you have young children in the house. It seems as if there are more meetings and events to attend than there are days to do them. You’re worried about buying the right gifts. Worried about paying for them. Kids are jumpy with anticipation. It’s year end and you’re stressed at work.
Believe it or not, evidently many parents resort to feeding their children various types of drugs to calm them or put them to sleep. Ranging from cough medicine to Ritalin. Check out this CNN news item. This is scary.
It is sometimes the hardest thing for a person to do to handle emotions when stressed then hit with just one more demand from a child, a boss, a co-worker, the pastor. Even Jesus snapped a couple of times when the stress and demands got overwhelming (think cursing the fig tree, for example).
So, if we can’t be perfect, we can try. And teach others. Learning to calm yourself when you pray by focusing on slow and regular breaths is an excellent training regimen for calming your outlook on life. Try looking at yourself from outside yourself when you are in situations. Is it a pretty sight? Then try training yourself to take a deep breath and exhale slowly before responding.
Sometimes you just need to regain your perspective on life. You only have small kids for a few years of your life. It’s over before you know it. In the overall scope of your life, you can handle the stress for a few years. It’s better for you. It’s better for those around you. It’s one of the fruits of the Spirit–patience. So easy to say. So hard to do. It takes training and perspective.
Tags: lifestyle
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