TO REDUCE STRESS, TRY FAITH

AUGUST 14, 2009

It seems almost everyone is busier than they want to be. It's rare to find someone with time on their hands. Our culture even tends to find fault with someone who is content to sit and watch the birds play and divert themselves in an open field.

Perhaps part of the problem we have in our modern, fast‑paced society, organized around the processes of production and consumption, is that we think of the ideal life as one which is filled with activity. Our society values people who can "get things done." The old saying about the starving artist is pretty true, because our society is not very willing to pay for beauty, only for practical results.

But what is this cultural ideal of the busy person as the successful, happy person doing to us as human beings?  What is it doing to our physical health?  What is it doing to our relationships? Prolonged periods of over activity tend to make people impatient and rude. People race down the highway, honking at others who are driving more slowly and perhaps more safely. People who know each other don't take time to chat when they meet by chance. To say goodbye, people no longer say "I have to go;" they say "I have to run."

Americans deny themselves sleep and eat in a hurry so that they can get more done. In the long run, we drift apart and become strangers to one another. Even family members barely spend time together. Today there are fewer family meals and even fewer family outings then in years past. The home has become like a hotel, each one coming and going according to his or her own schedule.

Heart disease is the number one killer in the nation. Americans seem to drive themselves until they literally drop dead. Children grow up before their time, knowing too much too soon about violence and sexuality and the complex world of adults, with the effect that they are robbed of the innocence of childhood.

In spite of life extension vitamins and health foods, many Americans grow old, at least in spirit, long before their time. They lose their smile, their spontaneity, their bouncy walk. The world becomes a tired place to be, and the human spirit languishes.

If there is one word which summarizes the results of our modern style of work and living, it is stress. Everyone seems to feel stress. The question of the Lord hauntingly comes to mind: "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul in the process?"

We have made great strides in making the world more comfortable. Our technology has solved countless practical problems with countless gadgets and inventions. But have we lost a sense of proportion?

How should we spend our days? Should we fill them up with activities? Or are all our activities a clever way of running away from ourselves and the deeper questions within us about the meaning and direction of our lives? Maybe in spite of all our activities we are going nowhere fast.

How do we solve this problem? The first step is to turn our attention to the words of Jesus in Matt 6:33, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his justice, and everything else will be given you besides."

Did Jesus mean for us to neglect everything else in our lives ‑‑ family, work, finances, hobbies? No, the context of Jesus' words points to two classes of people ‑‑ those serving the Lord and those serving the world.

Here are stereotypes of the two.

The second person is burdened with many cares, always fearing that deep‑laid plans will go awry, that wealth will vanish or health will fail. This person not only spends time feverishly keeping his or her level of activity, but is also constantly worrying that one or another of them may come to an end.

In contrast, the believer is diligently at work in the same kinds of activity as everyone else. He makes reasonable preparations for the future. In difficult times, he makes every effort to be persistent and resourceful.

Believers do their best and leave the outcome to God. Their hearts are set on God and God's kingdom. They remember the words of Jesus in Mark 1:15, "The kingdom of God is at hand. Reform your lives and believe the good news!"

We're all a mixture of these two kinds of persons. As we strive to put God's kingdom first, we can learn to reduce stress and to live sanely by learning to "let go," to relax, that is, and to let God work through us, as his instruments, trusting him to take care of all our needs.

+Bishop Raymundo J. Peña

last updated 09-Jun-2010 10:44 sitemap