Stress: Victim of Cirsumstances

2 Timothy 1:7 – For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and of a sound mind.
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When stress is ruling (and ruining) your life, it’s time for a change. What kind of change? Therein lies the dilemma for most of us. We feel comfortable (Really? Yes, really) in the track we’re treading because it is something we know and with any kind of luck at all we can blame someone else for the anxiety that plagues us. “I’m stressed because…” You fill in the blank and for some there is more than one response. Those are excuses for being stuck. God has a better plan. He does not give us a spirit of fear, but of power. What we do with that gift is up to us.
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Being a victim frequently is a consequence of being unwilling to change our circumstances. No matter the reasons for our stress and distress God has a way over around under or through our circumstances. Does He make life easy for us? No. Life makes life hard. Circumstances beat us up. People disappoint us. We have horrifying health issues. People we love die. We die. The question isn’t what is life doing to us, but what are we doing with each day, each hour, each moment during all that upheaval? God does not give us a spirit of fear, but of power. And the assurance we have is that He is with us every step of the way, every day and in all ways.

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Sharon Vander Meer publishes Happenstance Literary, an online magazine featuring her work and the work of other writers. Click here to learn more and to subscribe. Please share this post with others by clicking on the buttons below

Love: Our Present Redeemer

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
Love one another as God loves you is a first step in making relationships work. God does not control the affairs of man, although he could. He loves us enough to provide for our redemption, not because we earned or begged for it, but because his love knows no bounds. That means we are at liberty to be who we want to be. When that choice takes us down a wrong road, he doesn’t wrench us back, but he does wait for our return. When we do come back he welcomes us with open arms and a clean slate.

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Sharon Vander Meer publishes Happenstance Literary, an online magazine featuring her work and the work of other writers. Click here to learn more and to subscribe. Please share this post with others by clicking on the buttons below