Chapter Five: Stressed?

Passage to freedom

When life feels like a tiny, windowless room and its four walls are closing in, you can create a window of escape through the Word of God.

As you read and meditate on the Word, as you believe My promises and claim them as your own, you open a window to the spiritual realm where wonderful things await you. The warm sunshine of My love will melt away the tension. Like a breath of fresh air, the soft breeze of My Spirit will clear your mind. Crystal-clear streams of truth and pools of wisdom will refresh your spirit and mind. New vistas will open before you. You will see things from the heavenly perspective and thrill to the new possibilities and challenges before you. You will find new faith and inspiration. That stifled feeling will give way to exhilaration and a passion for living. "The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life."1

Learn to turn to the Word when you feel bottled up, and My Word will set you free.2

1. John 6:63
2. John 8:31-32

Stay simple

I spoke great truths, profound words that changed lives and continue to do so. But I also spoke to the children. I was simple, I was clear, and I didn't lose My appreciation of little things. I s ped to enjoy the flowers. I cooked for My disciples.

It's when you can't find joy in the everyday things of life that you become complicated and lose the human touch. You exchange depth of character for a labyrinth of complex thinking, a heart that is sensitive to the things of the spirit for mere head knowledge.

Simplicity is a gift. Everyone starts out with it, but as some people grow up they discount this gift because they associate it with ignorance, naiveté, immaturity, and a lack of sophistication. They prefer to weave a web of complexity to cover it. But did I not say that unless you have childlike simplicity to believe in the "impossible" and the unseen—Me, the One who died for you and rose to life again so you could have the wonderful but simple gift of eternal life—you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven? The gift of simplicity remains for those who have the humility and wisdom to value it and claim it as their own.

There is much to discover throughout life and even more in heaven, but you will always find that the most profound truths, the greatest beauty, and the most outstanding wisdom are expressed simply.

Double blessing

Although I have the power to solve your problems instantly, what you sometimes need most is not a quick fix but a wise counselor. I can be that to you.

Quick fixes are nice because they relieve the situation for the moment, but often the gain is only momentary. When solutions come easily, it's easy to take them for granted and not learn from them, so the problems recur. Sometimes you're not meant to go around your problems but through them, because struggles bring with them valuable lessons that strengthen your spirit and make you wiser. You are then better equipped to handle problems that come up later.

How and when I work on your behalf is for Me to decide, but if you're after My best and are trying to learn from every problem situation, you will be doubly blessed in the end. I will fix the problem in My time and My way, and you will be wiser for it.

Taking back control

There's so much that you need to do each day, so much that you want to do, and so much that others expect of you. You feel pulled in all directions. Pressure. Tension. Anxiety. Will it ever stop?

It won't stop  on its own, but you can break the cycle. You don't have to remain entangled in the unending struggle to do more and have more. Life doesn't have to be a daily crisis. You don't have to be the prisoner of unrealistic expectations. Let Me help you regain control of your life.

The root of the problem is simple: You try to do too much, more than is humanly possible, and you put your mind, body, and spirit under pressure they were never meant to handle. It's time to reassess. Determine what things mean the most to you—your primary long-term goals and responsibilities—and what other things are essential to achieve those things. Channel your energies into those things, and let go of the rest. Once you've done this, the pressures that once seemed unbearable will start to dissipate.

Do you want a new lease on life? You can have one, but you have to be willing to let go of the pressures that drive your present one. It's up to you.

When the burden gets too heavy

You're right—it's all too much at times! The problems are too big, the pressures too much, the tasks too hard, the burdens too heavy. It is all too much for your frail human frame, but it's never too much for Me. Give it all to Me. That's the secret; that's the solution.

Cast your cares on Me. Lay your burdens at My feet and leave them there. Don't pick them up and walk off with them again. Leave them for Me to take care of as only I can.

As you look to Me and lean on Me, I will take over and do what you couldn't do on your own. Even seemingly impossible situations are simple to Me. Sometimes I will solve the problem without your getting involved or even knowing how I did it.

Sometimes I will send others to help you. Sometimes I will work in others' hearts. Sometimes I will give you solutions so you can help fix the problem yourself. I work in lots of ways, depending on the situation and the need. As you learn to bring your problems to Me and ask Me to work on your behalf, I will. That's a promise!