Beyond Fixes for Stress

How would you like a vacation on a palm-fringed tropical island right now? Would it remove your stress? Temporarily, no doubt, but the stress would be back. More practical for most of us would be an evening spent in a relaxed setting, doing something we enjoy. But for how long would that relieve our stress? When it comes to lasting stress management, we definitely need something beyond quick fixes.

A wealth of websites, articles, and books already exist to help us conquer stress. But often they treat stress like a virus that can be isolated and remedied. This booklet is different in two ways: It looks at stress as part of a life story, and it shows how God intervenes in the life and not just in the stress.

Each one of us is unique, and our personal stress levels depend on how we react to all the events of our lives. Because stressors—the triggers of stress—are interwoven with the fabric of our daily experience, true stress management requires a change in the way we relate to life as a whole.

Christianity holds the key to managing this stress. But God is interested in doing more for us than just helping us handle stressors. He wants to make our entire experience in life glow as a result of our knowing Him. He wants to fill our emptiness and be our continual source of guidance, strength, and joy; as well as a place of refuge when things get tough. Yet God does not force anything on us. He gently works to attract us to Him, and we may not feel a need for His help until our stress level becomes overwhelming. In this way at least, stress can be a blessing.

The main purpose of this booklet is to increase your awareness of how God works in the background of our lives by showing you one real-life story of stress, and also to help you realize just how much stress management (and more) He wants to make available to you. I want to share the story about stress that I know best—my own—in the hope that it will encourage you as your life story unfolds.