Last week I had a doctor’s appointment. I usually don’t like going to the doctors, but I needed a physical as part of my wife and I’s pre-approval for foster care again. With being a little nervous anyways, my blood pressure was 177/110: stage 2 hypertension! The doctor told me to get back to exercise and cut out caffeine, salt and stress.
It was easy to get back to the gym, cut out caffeine completely and watch my salt intake. But the whole stress thing really had me thinking. In fact, when I put on facebook of my high blood pressure, many others talked about their high blood pressure and what they did to help it. Without saying it or admitting to it, I saw that most people have been, or get so occasionally or are completely stressed out altogether. Sure high blood pressure runs in family genetics (it does for me), but as someone told me, “it’s crazy how a habit of drinking coffee develops when you were once stressed and now you just keep drinking it.”
What is this stress? Is stress a big deal? Is stress something to overcome or something we just have to learn to deal with? Why do we get stressed? Why do I get stressed? I have to believe that if stress is normal and normal isn’t working, then I should strive to be Weird. Based upon what I’ve been reading and hearing at church lately, I constantly come back to my pleasing of people, if you’ll allow me to be honest. I beat myself up knowing that I haven’t been there for them spiritually or feel that I could be the one to fix their problems. I get embarrassed if I feel that I’m identified with something stupid. I get upset when my kids won’t let me work on my work that I take home from work. I get jealous of other people and what they have and even wish I could be like them sometimes. I rather do things my way because I think that’s the best way sometimes. Definitely much pride deep down inside. This is what pride looks like in my life. Soon, I’m doing a million things (even if only in my mind) and I’m acting like I could be God. I don’t talk with other people about these issues. And I certainly don’t confess any sins to one another. I mean, wouldn’t you find it odd if a pastor was confessing their sins to you? Doesn’t sound like the pastor-type, one who is suppose to point others to hope and a better way of life. And you’re right.
Maybe I’ve find myself like most “normal” people: self-medicating my troubles and worries. Most normal people find ways to release tension whether it’s with caffeine, sex, porn, shopping, entertainment and amusement, alcohol or even over the counter sleeping pills. I’m not saying I’ve done all those. But what’s the difference between how I deal with stress and the next person if we both are simply just trying to create a smoke screen of our lives for the sake of looking normal? This is what pride does. We take knowledge to make us look better. We literally create a smoke screen, so that no one else can see our imperfection. We inflate ourselves to be “larger than life.” This is what it is meant by “knowledge puffs up” (1 Corinthians 8:1). ”Puffs up” is making a smoke screen or blowing “hot air.” We try to keep up appearances. We have to be right. We build our lives for ourselves. We don’t have time to help other people be better. If we’re truthful with ourselves, we’ll admit that we don’t love people, we use people. We spend time and money on a fascination of things and to one day possess those things. It is the “survival of the fittest.” We fight to be the best at something, so we can feel significant in this world, not so we can make a difference for God in this world. This not only happens in our home life, our friend life and our career life, but in our church life as well. We don’t want other Christians to think we don’t have it altogether…we have to teach their kids in Sunday school after all!
This un-dealt with pride will evidentially cause our heart to deteriorate. Just do a word study of pride in the bible and see all the amazing descriptions of someone with pride. It’s someone full of selfish ambition, arrogance of a position, arrogance of their possessions and abilities, rebellious, always looking down on others, likes making a big deal out of things that don’t matter, full of jealousy, hides feelings, isolated from others and highly sensual. It leads to a life of false security, conflict, sorrow, destruction and disgrace.
Our heart cannot love God wholeheartedly (Mark 12:29-31). Our heart is too busy on ourselves. And this is the natural flow of the sinful, unrepentant and un-teachable human nature.
I think this is why Paul reminded the church at Ephesus “to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Eph 4:22-24 NIV).” There had to be work done to not be normal. There has to be work to be Weird. To break from this cycle, it takes training, discipline, honesty, obedience, grace, mercy and time discovering the awe and wonder of God. It takes an earnest desire to fix what’s broken on our inside. It takes making our heart humble and teachable. I believe this is why so many passages in the bible commands us to “fear the Lord,” to “fear God” with a reverent awe.
“…rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. (1Ti 4:7-8 NIV).”
How about you, why are you dealing with stress?
This is my wife's photography. She captures amazing photos. She loves what she does and takes pride in every shot. Check her work out at 
A+!
Thanks outnumberedby5.
You are definitely on to something here, Steve. Excellent writing and transparency. I need to go check my smoke screen. Thanks for this authentic post; it's quite timely as we begin to return stateside.
Thank you Amber. Can't wait to hear all the authenticity of what you guys experienced in the last couple of years. Everyone needs to hear it.
I recently lost my mother and have been struggling with grief and guilt for what could of, should of, or would of been if she had not gotten sick and lived. I thought God gave her peace and a better home for sure, but I attempted to look and appear like I was at 110%, when really it was a false face, an illusion of a soul in sorrow. I prayed hard and heard, Let it out, tell it to anyone, call and release, it is ok, and I did, and after losing face, being honest and humble and admitting I was rock bottom, I came to the surface and breathed. I think you have a great insight to the human condition, trying to make everyone else feel ok, like me, as a nurse, I want everyone else to be happy, feel good, be cared for, but sometimes I let myself down, and my heart's needs, and that it when I am tested most.Thanks for writing this.
Thanks Pattie for your openness. Passing of a loved one definitely causes you to pause and think of life a little differently. This also helps us know how to properly respond to others who are going through similar circumstances. We can truly be there for them and talk it out with them and let them know how to be transparent. My insight to the human condition is purely what I learn from God and His Word and experience it true in my own life. Thanks for reading, it's nice to know someone is
There is a video called "Joshua", about Christ comng to earth now and helping a town rebuild a church. it is really good and taught me a lot about being a "modern" Christian. We question motives when all we what we should question is our own. You should rent it, as it really spoke to me. Thanks for doing what you do. I read your posts often and miss you guys. Love and prayer, Pattie Behl, Springfield, MO
There is so much really excellent stuff here.
One of the things I'd like to observe is the stuff about how uncomfortable it would be, hearing a confession from a pastor…
I think you're right. It would be. But it shouldn't be. If we take seriously the idea that we are a priesthood of believers, and that the temple is now the body of believers themselves, we wouldn't be so quick to set up these double standards between lay people and clergy.
Satan loves this double standard. You allude to the sin of pride, which is there. And you imply the isolation this creates, which is community-destroying, just what our enemy wants.
But there is also sin on the side of we who sit in the pews. (O.k. so FC doesn't have pews, but you get my point.) Because we want to not take our calling so seriously; we want you to be the professional Christians so that we can be the amateur Christians.
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Hello,Yes, stress can afefct your health but the crazy part is, it doesn’t have to.Stress is anything that taxes our body. Long hours and no time off definitely fit in that category.The question is: how do your react to the long hours? Does it energize you? Do you feel invigorated and charged because of the excitement of your project, or are you drained and depleted?You don’t sound excited from your question, so I assume that it drains you. In that case, the stress can take its toll on your health in many ways, including depleting your immune system, afefcting your digestion, circulation, hormone levels all sorts of stuff.To reduce stress you can: get rid of the stressors. Quit your job or reduce your work load. manage your stressors. Find coping mechanisms that help you with the stress. For example, you can ask that you take extra time at lunch to do a yoga class, or make sure that your boss always gives you notice before a deadline is due. change your attitude about the stress. Here you can use mediation, biofeedback, affirmations, or other tools to change your view point so that you no longer see your situation as stressful. If you start to accept that you work long hours, and quit thinking it should be any differently, you may start to enjoy them. It’s our resistance to what is actually happening that often causes the most stress.You know what you need for health. Listen to it and you won’t go wrong.Julia