Peace with God in a High-Stress Society
Lately, I have been under stress.
"So what? Join the club," you might think. If that's your thought, then you probably don't know me very well.
By nature, I am a peaceful person. In the past, stress hasn't affected me. Even so, lately, I have found myself rushing from one responsibility to the next, and, in the end, looking back and trying to find time for things high on my priority list, much less leisure...
Between teaching full-time, preparing for teaching full-time, going to graduate school, and commuting in annoying traffic, my stress-level is so high that my battery is drained when it comes time to focus on the things that I feel are truly important to me in life: my relationship with God, my wife, and my friends (not to mention any hobbies).
It's not like I am alone in this, though. Quite frankly, many people have much more stress because of their work situations as well as additional responsibilities in their personal life than I do. So, what I am trying to say is this: Why do we live like this?
When I look at the society of America at large, it appears to be obsessed with busy-ness. The most disturbing aspect of this, however, is that most people don't seem to think it's a problem. When I talk to co-workers and friends, often I am reminded of how "normal" this high-stress lifestyle has become. Why does our culture feel this constant need to be doing something? What ever happened to leisure? Just ... relaxing? Just ... being? I want some peace!
But, I need to step back even further. My tendency is to associate this fast-paced, high-stress lifestyle with our American culture, which to some extent is fair and accurate; however, I feel like my tendency here is slightly biased from my travels through Europe where I personally encountered a more relaxed way of living that was full of peace. But, in all fairness, the same stress problem even exists in Europe as well, perhaps it is not as prevalent, but it is present nonetheless. My point is that the problem of living in this state of restless stress is as wide-spread and old as humanity itself and isn't limited to American society.
I propose that we try to live this busy fast, paced life because of a disconnect between us and the people we were made to be. Perhaps, we are all moving so fast and we submit ourselves to such high levels of stress because we know that if we slow down, we just might see what's missing: peace in a harmonious relationship with God. Humanity has lacked this peace since it fell out of harmony with God in the garden.
The psalmist paints God as a "refuge" from this tumultuous world, bellowing "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10, ESV). Maybe, just maybe, if we are still, we can't help but acknowledge that we are living out of harmony with the creator, God himself, and that we long for peace.
Jesus tells us, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matt. 11:28-29, ESV). In Jesus and his teaching, I can find peace and release from the burden of stress.
Thankfully, I'm not the first one to experience this trial. Jesus himself felt this burden. If you read through the gospels, you will see a consistent event: Jesus withdrawing himself from the hustle-and-bustle into the wilderness or the mountains to simply be with God. Mark records Jesus as saying, "" Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while" (Mark 6:31, ESV). For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat."
It is tempting to feel "well that's easy for him; He is God." But, I find comfort that Jesus, too, had to make time for leisure and his relationship with God. Jesus kept peace in his life by setting aside time, even with responsibilities pressing down on him from every angle, to spend with God. So that's what I have to do. I have to make time for what is important in life, including leisure; that is the only way I can have peace from the stress of this world.
Will I be as successful in my professional and educational pursuits? Maybe... but probably not. And that's okay, because the stress it induces is simply not worth me sacrificing my priorities. Sure, ungraded papers may mound up on my desk, and my GPA may fall a bit, and I my students may not have the highest test scores, but that's okay, too. Because, when all that is swept away, what will really matter? My relationship with God, my wife, and my friends; whatever else I do is gravy. Who knows, the added peace and absence of stress may actually improve my performance in the classroom as both a teacher and a student.
God, I pray that I never let the stress of day-to-day life keep me from nurturing my relationship with you, my wife, or my friends. Jesus, you know how this world can be; God, give me the strength and consistency to always set aside time for the important things in life. God, guide me in determining those priorities. Grant me your peace. Amen.
"So what? Join the club," you might think. If that's your thought, then you probably don't know me very well.
By nature, I am a peaceful person. In the past, stress hasn't affected me. Even so, lately, I have found myself rushing from one responsibility to the next, and, in the end, looking back and trying to find time for things high on my priority list, much less leisure...
Between teaching full-time, preparing for teaching full-time, going to graduate school, and commuting in annoying traffic, my stress-level is so high that my battery is drained when it comes time to focus on the things that I feel are truly important to me in life: my relationship with God, my wife, and my friends (not to mention any hobbies).
It's not like I am alone in this, though. Quite frankly, many people have much more stress because of their work situations as well as additional responsibilities in their personal life than I do. So, what I am trying to say is this: Why do we live like this?
When I look at the society of America at large, it appears to be obsessed with busy-ness. The most disturbing aspect of this, however, is that most people don't seem to think it's a problem. When I talk to co-workers and friends, often I am reminded of how "normal" this high-stress lifestyle has become. Why does our culture feel this constant need to be doing something? What ever happened to leisure? Just ... relaxing? Just ... being? I want some peace!
But, I need to step back even further. My tendency is to associate this fast-paced, high-stress lifestyle with our American culture, which to some extent is fair and accurate; however, I feel like my tendency here is slightly biased from my travels through Europe where I personally encountered a more relaxed way of living that was full of peace. But, in all fairness, the same stress problem even exists in Europe as well, perhaps it is not as prevalent, but it is present nonetheless. My point is that the problem of living in this state of restless stress is as wide-spread and old as humanity itself and isn't limited to American society.
I propose that we try to live this busy fast, paced life because of a disconnect between us and the people we were made to be. Perhaps, we are all moving so fast and we submit ourselves to such high levels of stress because we know that if we slow down, we just might see what's missing: peace in a harmonious relationship with God. Humanity has lacked this peace since it fell out of harmony with God in the garden.
The psalmist paints God as a "refuge" from this tumultuous world, bellowing "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10, ESV). Maybe, just maybe, if we are still, we can't help but acknowledge that we are living out of harmony with the creator, God himself, and that we long for peace.
Jesus tells us, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matt. 11:28-29, ESV). In Jesus and his teaching, I can find peace and release from the burden of stress.
Thankfully, I'm not the first one to experience this trial. Jesus himself felt this burden. If you read through the gospels, you will see a consistent event: Jesus withdrawing himself from the hustle-and-bustle into the wilderness or the mountains to simply be with God. Mark records Jesus as saying, "" Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while" (Mark 6:31, ESV). For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat."
It is tempting to feel "well that's easy for him; He is God." But, I find comfort that Jesus, too, had to make time for leisure and his relationship with God. Jesus kept peace in his life by setting aside time, even with responsibilities pressing down on him from every angle, to spend with God. So that's what I have to do. I have to make time for what is important in life, including leisure; that is the only way I can have peace from the stress of this world.
Will I be as successful in my professional and educational pursuits? Maybe... but probably not. And that's okay, because the stress it induces is simply not worth me sacrificing my priorities. Sure, ungraded papers may mound up on my desk, and my GPA may fall a bit, and I my students may not have the highest test scores, but that's okay, too. Because, when all that is swept away, what will really matter? My relationship with God, my wife, and my friends; whatever else I do is gravy. Who knows, the added peace and absence of stress may actually improve my performance in the classroom as both a teacher and a student.
God, I pray that I never let the stress of day-to-day life keep me from nurturing my relationship with you, my wife, or my friends. Jesus, you know how this world can be; God, give me the strength and consistency to always set aside time for the important things in life. God, guide me in determining those priorities. Grant me your peace. Amen.
Labels: Spiritual Musings
posted by Justin | 3:53 PM
1 Comments:
After pondering the predicament you outline in this post, I am looking at the busy-ness of humanity in a different light. As a child, I thought that when God told Adam he would have to toil and work all the days of his life because he ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, I thought God was punishing Adam for disobeying Him. As I mature, though, I realize that the consequences of sin issues are not punishments from God, but results of choosing a path that God tried to protect me from in the first place. Perhaps when God told Adam that man would have to toil, He was really saying, "You have a chosen an existence that I hoped to spare you from living." Like you say in this post, it seems a lot of people are workaholics to avoid awareness of how empty they really are--a consequence of our separation from God. Thank God for Christ! Thanks for this post. (And disobedience to the Creator of the Universe is a huge problem, but I don't believe it's because He has a big stick ready to whack us with, but because He loves us so much that He just wants us to live lives that He knows are best, not suffer for ignorant and poorly-made decisions.) I love you. :)
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