When the Pressure Gets to Be Too Much

It happens to all of us. The pressure builds up, and then we are left standing there, wondering why we don’t feel happy the way we were supposed to feel. We have the things we wanted so badly. We look good to other people. We seem to be a success! But there is still that pressure, like a rubber band around our necks, and we don’t know how to feel good again. Our families are splintering. Our relationships are falling apart. Our credit cards are maxed out. We are stressed out, frustrated, overworked and still needing more! Our weekends are spent at the office, or worrying about the office. Our evenings are rushed, and when we have the time to stop and actually think, we find whole new worries about the state of our children and our marriages. As the pressure mounts, we wonder, what on earth are we supposed to do? We wanted it all, we tried for it all, and now it all seems to be falling apart!

What do you do when the pressure gets to be too much? You turn to God. There is no other option. No one else can solve it for you. Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28) God is the only One who can give that kind of rest. The world around us just adds on the stress, adds on the pressure, demands more and more from you. But God can relieve that stress, if we’ll just give it to Him. He says: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matt. 11:29) It is a learning process. The rest that God gives is not a wave of a magic wand. While God does relieve our fears, He also teaches us how to live the kind of life He created us for. He teaches us how to live simply. He teaches us how to take advantage of the

rest He offers.

God’s plan for us is not to be weighed down by stresses and debt. Too many people think that God is too demanding of us, that turning to God means turning to more rules and frustration. If I thought I had problems now, the last thing I need is church! But Jesus says the exact opposite: “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:30) What makes a life with Jesus so much easier? The simplicity. A life with Jesus doesn’t focus on the material things, or the status symbols. It doesn’t wave credit cards under your nose and then sick collections agencies on you. It doesn’t trap you in a cycle of more and more work and less and less pleasure. It doesn’t keep you blinded to the needs of your family until it’s too late. A life with Jesus focuses on the things that matter most: your family and your God.

But doesn’t money matter? I mean, just being a Christian doesn’t take away your bills! That’s true. And God cares about your money. He knows what you need. But He doesn’t see your value through your checking account or the brands you wear. He doesn’t expect you to keep up with anyone else. He doesn’t look down on you for admitting that this didn’t work out the way you had planned. Of course, you need money to survive in this world. But that is the least of God’s worries with you. God knows that it isn’t how much you make so much as how much He blesses it! If you are seeking His kingdom, God has promised that He’ll help you take care of that part, too.