Peace for Rosie

Rosie* is a ball of raw emotion. She reacts too quickly in anger when her supervisor at work asks her questions that, to most people, would not be seen as threatening. The extreme feelings she has about current situations in her life overwhelm her. She thinks about what someone did or said until it becomes different and hurtful, in her mind. She cries easily and says things she doesn’t mean; she has diarrhea.

Stress is a health-wrecker--frustration, worrying, fretting, being obsessive. And besides that, it makes life chaotic and hellish. Here are some telling statistics, according to this linked article on Web MD:

Forty-three percent of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress.

Seventy-five to 90% of all doctor's office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints.

Stress can play a part in problems such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, or arthritis in addition to depression and anxiety.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) declared stress a hazard of the workplace. Stress costs American industry more than $300 billion annually.

The lifetime prevalence of an emotional disorder is more than 50%, often due to chronic, untreated stress reactions.

I hope Rosie will be able to find peace. Many people search for it today and don’t find it. Where can you find it? The answer is simple, and maybe that’s why some distrust it, but it is true. Deep, lasting, inner-core quietness is found by trusting in God and looking to him for that peace. A sense of calm fulfillment is possible--IS possible--and this is an absolute truth.

In the Old Testament, Isaiah says if we trust in God, his peace will fill us:

You will keep in perfect peace
him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in you. (Isaiah 26:3, NIV)

In the New Testament, Jesus beckons to the stressed, the tired, the overwhelmed:

²⁸If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. ³⁰This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light. (Matthew 11, CEV)

The Message translation says it another way:

^28-30"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

That's my prayer for peace.

*This is not really her name; she’s a composite of several stressed-out people I know.

Peace for Rosie

http://connectionsgodandtheworld.blogspot.com/2009/11/peace-for-rosie.html

Chris Craig and Questions

Looking through my journal this morning, I saw that in 2002, I heard a thought-provoking message by Chris Craig. It was based on the book of Jonah, the rebellious guy who was swallowed by a whale in his efforts to get away from God, who told him to go warn Ninevah that they had better turn to him.

Jonah boarded a ship, hoping it would take him far away from God, but God caused a ferocious storm. The men who formed the crew of the ship were disturbed, of course, as they tried to save themselves. They decided it must be Jonah’s fault, and they asked him some questions:

"How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish."

Then the sailors said to each other, "Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity." They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.

So they asked him, "Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?"

He answered, "I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land."

This terrified them and they asked, "What have you done?" (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.)

The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, "What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?"

(Eventually, they threw him into the sea where a giant fish swallowed him. Jonah was, of course, in deep despair, sure he would die. He realized that he could not go anywhere to escape God. He prayed in repentance; after three days, the fish cast him up on the shore, and he went to Ninevah to do God’s bidding.)

Chris asked whether unbelievers today (the sailors) have the right to ask Christians these questions:

“Why don’t you pray?”

“Why don’t you shine?” (Why has evil come upon us?)

“Why don’t you serve?” (And whom do you serve?)

“Why don’t you testify?” (Tell us.)

“Why have you departed from God?”

“What shall we do with you that we might have peace?”

The answer is yes, they do have the right to ask believers these questions. Providing answers is one of the responsibilities of a Christian. Thank God, Chris added, for not giving up on us.

The picture is found at this site:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/photos/whales.html

Chris Craig and Questions

http://connectionsgodandtheworld.blogspot.com/2009/10/chris-craig-and-questions.html

"Give Me Your Eyes"

Click on this YouTube link to see a music video that is very powerful--"Give Me Your Eyes."

The song is by Brandon Heath; it's about being compassionate, caring for other enough to see them through God's eyes.

"Give Me Your Eyes"

http://connectionsgodandtheworld.blogspot.com/2009/09/give-me-your-eyes.html

Out of Retirement

I sort of decided to retire this blog around Easter. But! Now, I have decided to come out of blog-retirement. I think my two main problems have been time, of which there seems to be little, and lack of assurance that anybody out there reads any of this stuff.

As for the first--time--every day still has twenty-four hours in it. We choose what we will spend our time doing; that’s called prioritizing, I tell myself.

The second, I must confess, is a selfish consideration. The Bible says believers must spread God’s word. It doesn’t say we should talk about God if people are listening. It just says do it. So I will start up again, doing it. Also, I have learned that at least one person reads it from time to time. So here’s something I want to point out today:

God is always amazing to me, even if I expect him to be performing miracles--which I do and he does. Oswald Chambers points out in today’s My Utmost for His Highest entry, July 11, that

A spiritually vigorous saint never believes that his circumstances simply happen at random, nor does he ever think of his life as being divided into the secular and the sacred. He sees every situation in which he finds himself as the means of obtaining a greater knowledge of Jesus Christ, and he has an attitude of unrestrained abandon and total surrender about him.

In modern words, I think we could say Oswald means that God arranges circumstances in our lives and works through those circumstances to bring us to a closer relationship with himself through Jesus.

That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!

Out of Retirement

http://connectionsgodandtheworld.blogspot.com/2009/07/out-of-retirement.html

Power of the Heart

Modern medicine shows that people can die of a broken heart. Conversely, people who are barely hanging on by a thread can will themselves to live. The heart has great power in us.

Duane Sheriff, pastor of Victory Life Church in Durant, Oklahoma, said every issue of your life—good or bad—comes from your heart.

If you hate somebody or have a problem forgiving somebody, it’s not because of that person or anything he or she does. It is because of the pinched, angry, hurt, and/or fearful condition of your heart.

If you keep getting into arguments with your husband or wife, or if you can’t stand your kids, it is because of your heart. On the other hand, if you get along with people and love your spouse and kids, that too is a result of your heart condition.

Your reaction to other people and to situations in your life are choices you make.

He took this idea further, saying we had best take care to keep our hearts cheerful and peaceful, and we can by choosing to do so. We can live in peace and harmony with other people by wanting to and choosing that lifestyle. These choices are easy if God lives there—in the heart. Your heart is the source of all your choices, all your issues. What you choose to put there determines the flow of your life.

He quoted Proverbs 4:

My son, pay attention to what I say;
listen closely to my words.

Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;

for they are life to those who find them
and health to a man's whole body.

Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life.

Power of the Heart

http://connectionsgodandtheworld.blogspot.com/2009/01/power-of-heart.html

Mystery Man--Angel?

A “mystery man” or “a good Samaritan” saved the life of a North Carolina woman, Shanena Martin, yesterday. She fell asleep at the wheel of her car and ran off Spencer Mountain Road near Ranlo, NC. Her car was wedged against a tree, half buried in brush and leaves. A woman who saw the wreck said Martin was trapped inside the smoldering car, appearing to be pinned by the dashboard.

A middle-aged man passing by stopped, assessed the situation, and managed to get the passenger door open. The witness said the man was “calm” and “focused.” He pulled Martin out of the car about 90 seconds before it burst into flames. Before anyone could get his name, he left, saying he had to get to work.

Todd Lewis, the Ranlo assistant fire chief, said Martin had a guardian angel watching over her. Does God send angels to protect us? I believe he does. And I believe he often arranges circumstances so calm, focused human beings are in the right spot at the time desperate help is needed. The Bible says those who love God and depend on him will “rest in the shadow of the Almighty,” and “he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”

Mystery Man--Angel?

http://connectionsgodandtheworld.blogspot.com/2008/11/mystery-man-angel.html