I read about a bumper sticker “To Blessed to be Stressed.” At first I was puzzled. Stress is pressure or tension exerted on an object. When stress is placed on a metal object it may cause it to deform or break, sometimes leaving a noticeable mark or discoloration. So it has been deformed.
For us stress is caused by the demands of life, by our struggles and trials. This past year we have faced additional stress caused by the pandemic. But you know if we don’t have some stress we get bored and we have a lack of satisfaction in our lives. Yet most of the time when we talk about stress in our lives it’s because we have too much. This leads to mental and even physical exhaustion and poor health. Stress leads to strain that wears us out. That is we’re deformed.
We are advised in Scripture not to worry. Another way of looking at this not to fret. David tells us in Psalm 37:1, “Do not get upset because of evildoers, do not envy those who do wrong.” In other words, we should not fret or be agitated.
The in vs 3, David says, “Trust in the Lord and do good.” So instead of worrying about all the bad things that happen to us, we should cast our cares on the Lord (1 Peter 5:7). Then he tells us “to do good.” At first that seems strange. But if you think about it, it does make sense! So we must put our trust in God and then we should occupy our selves by doing things that please God—doing good. This is what Peter concluded when he said, “So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good” (1 Peter 4:19).
We sing a song: “Trust and Obey.” That’s what it is saying. Put your trust in God and then obey Him. Jesus serves as our example as He came to do the will of His Father. “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me” (John 6:38).
So instead of sitting around doing nothing, we fill our lives by doing God’s will—doing good. We bring delight and joy into our hearts when we are doing God’s will. David says, . “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation ...
