In healthy Christian circles, stress is met with prayer, intervention of the Holy Spirit, meditating on the Word and promises of God, and even innocent fun activities such as ax throwing, getting a manicure, or grilling with friends and family to wash away some of that stress. Some of those fun, innocent activities also happens in secular circles, but the point is, stress can run and ruin lives if not properly handled with care.
Growing up, my dad made sure to enlighten me by explaining the difference between stress and stressed out, the former often motivating us to do what needs to be done and even reminding us that we need the S-word to discover the potential we have to reach our goals. We are stressed because we care about the outcome, essentially.
However, we stress out because we let the fear of the worst-case scenario will become a reality and ruin our lives, or at least traumatize us for 10-20 years.
Anyone who loves you and wants what’s best for you would hope you avoid feeling stressed out at all costs. Unfortunately, “stressed out” is what Satan finds most amusing because it is at this point where temptation appears more satisfying than the Truth itself (see Matthew 4 as a reference). Stressed out does not happen without stress first taking root. Stressed out is stress out of control. Paul, in 2 Corinthians 10, says that to wage war against the powers of the world by demolishing arguments and claims against God starts when we “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (verse 5), because the Gospel of Jesus Christ is persuasive when you observe the Truth of who God is, and when you allow your thought life to turn from disobedience and turn towards the Truth, the evidence of God’s narrative will speak for itself in a mighty way – mightier than any weapon the world uses. Stressed out occurs when we do not take an active, offensive approach to the thoughts that flood our minds when we are stressed. Paul says we need to take captive our thoughts because, just like stress, when we don’t submit our thoughts to God, it can become a destructive weapon that can not only destroy us and the great blessings God gives us (e.g. relationships, friendships, vocations, the will of God, etc.), but our relationship with God.
If we are not careful, our thoughts in the stressed stage could set up an argument and pretense against God – example: Going from “Why would you do this to me God?” to “You are not a good God, because you allow this to happen in my life.”
When we are stressed out, and continue to let our thoughts wander down dangerous roads, we become undisciplined in measuring up the thoughts we think and the feelings we feel to the Truth of God. In addition, we forget that Jesus experienced it too! Let’s take a look at where Jesus experienced arguably the most intense form of stressed out in his lifetime.
Sure, I would be stressed out if Satan approached me in the wilderness after 40 days and 40 nights of fasting, but I am not referring to Matthew 4, when the ”tempter” came to Jesus to convince him to jump of cliffs and turn stones to bread. Instead, let’s look at the stress Jesus felt right before (12-15 hours before he was arrested) his captors had seized him in order to be crucified on the cross:
“They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I pray.’ He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,’ he said to them. ‘Stay here and keep watch.’
Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. ‘Abba, Father,’ he said, ‘everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.’
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. ‘Simon,’ he said to Peter, ‘are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’”
– Mark 14:32-37
The big argument I have heard when people feel immense amount of stress – you can call it stressed out or distressed, but, in my opinion, they mean the same thing – is that “no one knows or understands what I’m going through.” However, not only did Jesus feel copious amounts stress, but he admitted to Peter, James, and John before his arrest, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death (Mark 14:34 NLT)” To me, that sounds like stressed out; another version, the NIV, translated, “…[Jesus] began to be deeply distressed and troubled, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow…” If I were to describe my stress using other words, I may speak like Jesus did here, though if I were to speak of death within the same breath, I would be exaggerating. However, I don’t think Jesus was exaggerating, and if I were about to be handed over and arrested by my “betrayer” (Mark 14:42) in order to be crucified and tortured to death, I would probably compare my grief and distress to death as well.
According to www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, “Stress responses are normal reactions to environmental or internal perturbations and can be considered adaptive in nature. Distress occurs when stress is severe, prolonged, or both.” In my opinion, this sounds like stressed out. An article about stress and grief from www.webmd.com says, “Stress links the emotional and physical aspects of grief.” Meaning, the grief Jesus probably experienced caused more stress and tension physically and emotionally. Whether we use distressed, stressed out, or grief to describe our intense level of stress, it sounds like semantics to me. The point is, Jesus was so stressed out about his impending, inevitable betrayal and death, that he was feeling the weight and pressure the grief and distress was having on him before the events even unfolded.
Since stress is universal, and we all experience varying degrees of it, let’s take a look at how Jesus handled the most intense version of it (both physically and emotionally):
1. He admitted his pain
2. He approached God with it; he prayed
3. He worshipped God by declaring what God can do and what he is capable of
4. Despite his stress, he honored God through commitment to the original plan – he did not forget what God’s plan was
5. He accepted his role and did not complain
Instead of using our stress as justification to attack God and demand that either he fix the situation or we threaten to cease the relationship, we should take notes on how Jesus handled a level of stress beyond our own comprehension: he dealt with rejection and betrayal from his closest friends, was publicly humiliated, and sacrificed eternity in Heaven for earthly humiliation and suffering. His mission to set the captives free from the bondage of sin required a crown of thorns and unimaginable pain – physical, emotional, psychological. If anyone knew stress to its fullest extent, it was Jesus. And if Jesus could get past his stress to complete the mission, we can too.
How? For starters, Jesus prioritized his commitment to the will of the Father. Jesus demonstrated what a life centered on God looks like, and his focus was unwavering. In the book of John alone, check out how Jesus humbly credits the Father during his ministry:
1. “…I speak what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him” - John 8:28-29
2. “…now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him” - John 13:31
3. “…so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” – John 14:13
4. “…if you loved me, you would be glad I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.” – John 14:28
5. “…I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.” – John 14:31
6. “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit…” – John 15:8
If we track the life of Jesus, we see how he handled the pressure he was put under: he immersed himself in the community around him with his disciples, he worshipped God the Father and credited Him for his ministry, and he walked with humility and gratitude. Jesus models in each of these verses that God deserves the glory and praise through sickness, health, suffering, victory, and in this case, stress. We may not have all of the answers, and sometimes we may hear ourselves utter a paraphrased version of “take this cup from me” when we feel “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” Yet, despite how we feel in the moment of stress, we can still find the strength to say, “not my will, but what God will.”
Is it easier said than done? Absolutely, but at a minimum, we can rest in the plans of God in the midst of our stress, for He alone is the strength we need to overcome the worst of days. Amen!