Wednesday, March 02, 2005

36 Christian Ways To Reduce Stress

A good friend and Brother in Christ e-mailed this one to me. I thought it made a lot of sense so I’m sharing it here.

LORD, I pray you make of what follows a blessing to those who find it here.

It goes this way:

An angel says, "Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice."

1. Pray

2. Go to bed on time.

3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.

4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.

5. Delegate tasks to capable others.

6. Simplify and unclutter your life.

7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)

8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.

9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.

10. Take one day at a time.

11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.

12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.

13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.

14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.

15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.

16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.

17. Get enough rest.

18. Eat right.

19. Get organized so everything has its place.

20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.

21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.

22. Every day, find time to be alone.

23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.

24. Make friends with God-ly people.

25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.

26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good "Thank you Jesus."

27. Laugh.

28. Laugh some more!

29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.

30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can.)

31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).

32. Sit on your ego.

33. Talk less; listen more.

34. Slow down.

35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe

36. Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before.

GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU.

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)

May the foregoing please you, LORD. Make it useful to those who read it and for your Kingdom’s purposes.

In Jesus’ Mighty Name, I pray. Amen.

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Today is the day! The US Supreme Court hears oral arguments today on the public display of the Ten Commandments. Please, continue to pray that Christian attorneys make a compelling case delineating between acknowledgment of religion versus establishment of religion. Pray also that the LORD's wisdom prevail over the justices.

Here's a more active way of helping out in the Terri Schiavo case from
theJesusfreak blog.

More from the same blog, if you're interested in finding out just how blogs are influencing public opinion, catch a glimpse of it
here.

Please continue to pray that Terri Schiavo's life---and the nation's conscience---may be spared.