Fresh Bread # 122
Mr. Stress
Ms. Rejoice
  
“We all encounter
stress on a daily basis.”, I read from Jordan Rubin’s web page this morning.
“Aha”, I thought.
“That is my wake-up call this morning.”
“ALL” was one of
the key words that brought light to my spirit.
NEW YORK CITY
My thoughts ran to
the time I was lost in New York City. Literally, physically lost. I didn’t
know which subway train to catch to get back to my apartment.
But, Praise God, I
was not alone. My roommate, Nancy, was with me. I decided that day, that
being lost in NYC wasn’t so bad when I had someone with me.
REALITY CHECK
There’s something good
about knowing that you are not “the only one” who has felt loss of control in
your life…which I believe is the basic cause of stress. There’s something
comforting in knowing that everyone has the opportunity to bump into Mr. Stress
somewhere each day.
We don’t plan to
bump into him; it simply happens. The sooner we recognize him, the sooner we
can say, “Oh, excuse me Mr. Stress. I didn’t mean to bump into you.” Then we
go simply on our way.
When we understand
that he is just one of the nuisances of life, we can move on, looking for Ms.
Rejoicing, as we had intentionally planned to fellowship with her. We leave
Mr. Stress far behind, standing in the dust.
I know the above
sounds silly, but it’s the way I saw it this morning.
BALANCE
We all need a
healthy balance in our life daily. Whether we are surrounded by people
physically or in prayer. I believe an excellent way to do this is:
REJOICE WITH THOSE WHO REJOICE
And
WEEP WITH THOSE WHO WEEP
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them
that weep.
Romans 12:15
If we spend all our
time with weepers, we can get out of balance ourselves. Not everyone in
the world is weeping today. Somewhere, someone is Rejoicing.
If you are stuck in
a “weeping mode”, may I suggest that you think of someone today who is
rejoicing, and make it a point to Rejoice with Them.
Prayer should not
be limited to Petition. But also, to Praise. How many Prayers of Praise have
we sent up for our friends who are rejoicing today? Let’s try to balance our
prayer life.
IF YOU CAN’T FIND ONE
If you can’t find
someone to rejoice with, perhaps you are to be that someone. Think about it!
Who do you know that you can honestly share your personal blessings with? Who
do you know who would rejoice with you?
They may be hard to
find, but if you seek with all your heart, I bet you will find at least
one person who is rejoicing today. Not in a religious tone, but all-out JOY.
One of those like we read about in Acts 3:8, who goes walking, and leaping,
and praising God.
We all need
this balance in our life. Yes, we all may encounter some kind of stress
in our life on a daily basis. Not recognizing Mr. Stress is what drags us
down.
So, today, please
ask yourself these two questions:
l. Where is Mr. Stress in my
life today?
2. Where is Ms. Rejoicing?
KEEP THE BALANCE
Weep With those who Weep
Rejoice with those who Rejoice
As Proverbs 25:20
says, “…As vinegar upon nitre, so is he that singeth songs to an heavy heart.”
We must do both of these. We can’t be so out of balance with joy, that when a
friend needs a “hand up”, we can’t weep with them.
But, I tell you the
truth. Once I ventured out today thinking of people I knew who are True
Rejoicers, and special memories of Great Rejoicing in my life and others, my
rejoicing exceeded more than I would have ever imagined. Just “thinking about”
Rejoicing, lifted me to such a level of Joy that I wasn’t sure if I could weep
for myself or anyone else at this time.
I found out that I
could. And I also found out that it is much easier to shift from
Rejoicing with those who rejoice, to weeping with those who weep. None of us
want to grow cold and uncaring, but the more Joy we have in ourselves, the more
JOY we can share with those we love. And we all know that “The JOY of the Lord
is our Strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10).
BALANCED PRAYER
Even as I pray now
for many, I ask myself, “Since everyone has some, what stress do I see in their
life today?” Or, “What do I hear them Rejoicing about?”
Will my prayer bring balance into their life today?
I BELIEVE
It
WILL!
 
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