Importance Of Smaller Day-To-Day Stressors In Our Life

God allowed what I thought was horrible to happen to me, to prune me. He wanted me like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season. (Psalm 1) If we want to grow, we need to accept God’s will in our lives. If we try to fix them ourselves or question him, we will struggle like a tree with swallow roots. My son and mom are in blessed health, I have become the hidden women spoke of in 1ST Peter 3:3-4 and I now call my husband Jonah. GOD IS AWESOME!

“Across that threshold I had been afraid to cross, things suddenly seemed so very simple. There was but a single vision, God, who was all in all; there was but one will that directed all things, God's will. I had only to see it, to discern it in every circumstance in which I found myself, and let myself be ruled by it. God is in all things, sustains all things, directs all things. To discern this in every situation and circumstance, to see His will in all things, was to accept each circumstance and situation and let oneself be borne along in perfect confidence and trust. Nothing could separate me from Him, because He was in all things. No danger could threaten me; no fear could shake me, except the fear of losing sight of Him.” This quote shows a lot of what father had been through in the labor

In a time of chaos, the words, “God is in control,” can bring peace to believers and non-believers alike. This phrase has found its way to bumper stickers, Hallmark cards, and Facebook post, and in many ways it has become a junk drawer phrase – one that we pull out when we need a comforting cliché. When pandemonium breaks loose and we seem to have lost all control, then it is convenient for God to be in “control.” But what about when things are not? What if things are relatively normal.

I finally woke up feeling better than I had the day before and I instantly knew the plans God had for me. He gave me an unbelievable amount of strength that I had no idea one person could obtain. I finally accepted that adversity was inevitable and I was no longer going to let it break me. Overcoming adversity is one of the biggest challenged in life and when we finally have the courage and strength to face it; then we will see the purpose God has for us. God will never give up on you and he will never leave your side. I continued to pray until I was no longer in such a bad state of mind. I learned to accept what God had put me through at such an early age as the best blessing I have ever received. Suffering built perseverance and hope that I never thought I had, he took my dark time and turned it into a gift. My experience is not a misfortune, it is something God gave me to be able to serve others. In times of difficulty, no one knows what God is doing with their life but he made me realize what I was capable of overcoming if I trusted in him and never lost faith. He turned something so terrible into something amazing. This showed me that he is always there even when I feel alone and he is never going to leave me in a hard time. I am blessed to be able to be there for others in times like this and give them advice or just be someone to talk to. This experience has influenced me to take on a career in psychology so no one ever

The most significant period of suffering I have gone through was when I lost my grandfather. I remember we had celebrated his 50th birthday never did imagine it would be the last. That horrible news impacts my life forever realizing that we don’t count for a tomorrow. His death was suddenly due to an embolism. His death caused me a lot of suffering because he was not sick and we had made a lot of plans. I did not know how to deal with his death because I was heartbroken. I wonder and questioned if maybe only God had given us a warning. I did not know how to manage my grief and mourned for him because I was angry with God. It took me time to understand that it was God’s will and that his soul had returned to God. I learned that his death of the body was not the end of his life (Rubin & Yasien-Esmael, 2004). I found comfort in the midst of suffering by finding acceptance in God. Also, I found praying for him and sharing my suffering with others helped me console my pain. I learn that “the lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit,” which help my relationship with God grow as my pain slowly vanished.

Week three’s devotional really touched me. Many people think they can do everything on their own, that they do not need God in their life. I feel that we all need God to help us get through the challenges in our lives, so we can grow and learn from those challenges. John 14:26 says, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you” (NASB). John 14:26 supports my feelings when it comes to needing God, as He will teach us.

Most often, students ask me how I cope with such variety of situations especially with dying patients, or telling a family member that there is nothing more to do. I immediately tell them that I fully rely on God for my strength and compassion. I cannot image a day without constant access to God for strength and comfort by simply praying silently throughout the day. Sharing situations that I have witnessed opens the door to plant a simple seed of faith and that there is always hope even in times of pain, suffering and sorrow. “Hope is essential to life.” (Townes 2007) With repeated exposure to tragic events often resulting in death, it is easy to question God’s

At our table during the retreat the song Roar by Katy Perry was discussed. “You held me down, but I got up Already brushing off the dust, You hear my voice, your hear that sound, Like thunder, gonna shake the ground, You held me down, but I got up, Get ready cause I've had enough, I see it all, I see it now…” Roar, Katy Perry. It was ironically the children at the Roy Petitfils school that caused some of the most pain in his life. They bullied and hurt him. God calls the children to him as being the most innocent and in this instance they were those that caused the most pain. Moving from being seen and bullied to not being spoken to at all is painful. Is this the way God feels at times. When we are so consumed with ourselves that we fail to respect and pay reverence. When we are hurting we demand that God be there and fix our problems. When we perceive that God has indeed fixed the issue he is slide back in to the shadows with no acknowledgment. Similar to the ministers in the Wounded Healer. we need to be more present in our own happiness. We are drawn to those that shine. We need to acknowledge others, positive affirmations a way to allow others to see us. Hey I noticed you did this ... It's hard to talk about the lights we are. We need to think about our self. Everything happens for a reason. Show gratitude to and for others...bring the

Sometimes God allows the rug to be pulled from underneath us, putting is in situations beyond our control. The world likes to appeal to our ego, giving us the false sense of security by telling us we ultimately have control over our lives. If you're not lukewarm, expect to be put to the test as God will refine us.

“God gives his hardest battles to his strongest soldiers” Psalm 18:31. This quote from the bible speaks to many people in many ways. For me it shows that from any hardships that comes your way you can face it and push through it. I believe that through bad times and hardships God will help you through all things.

It was amazing what total surrender did to turn my life around. My double life died as I became single minded for God. I could not get enough of his word, prayer, worship and fellowship with other believers. God began to lay a strong foundation of faith in me that would begin to grow and produce good works for his kingdom. Walking with God has not always been easy. I had times were I have been faithful to God and times when I have grown cold toward him. I thank God that he never gives up on me. I thank God that his mercies are new everyday. Almost two years ago, I lost my husband and my mother on the same day. I lost my father ten months later. If I not built a foundation and if I had not developed intimate relationship with God I would have never made it through the most difficult time of my life. If God had not healed me of the brokenness of my youth, I would never have believed he could heal me of these new

Whether it’s the daily stress or the lack of knowledge and/or understanding of child development, applying this with students can be often unheeded. On a daily basis, since the beginning of time God has acted fairly towards all mankind. His Initial act of fairness came by way of free will, which allows us to make individual choices, whether good or bad. However, He still listens to our cry for help and/or guidance when our choice has led us astray and he does this with love and fairness. The Bible is filled with stories of God being there and coming to those that were in need, even when those who needed him were against him. These blessed encounters were best described in the following. “The wonderful thing about these encounters is that when people needed God, He

It could be in your relationships, in a workplace, in school, in financial or perhaps; it could be your pursue to your dream or in your health — and God seems to be so silent, and you feel like giving up. God wants you to hold onto him and be in a community of love. He has given you very special friends, to steady you when you stumble, to catch you when you fall and to pray for you when you feel like giving up. Never think that you're not worth caring about, because God gave you those friends to be his hands, eyes, ears, heart and voice for you. Most especially, remember God uses those people, but He's still your One and Only Lord and Savior. Regardless of your hardships God wants to see if you truly love him with all your heart and

In the busy world of today, people are being pulled in numerous directions simultaneously. People have tasks at work as well as at home, and occasionally it all becomes excessive. Human bodies commence making people realize that they are feeling the stress of their everyday lives. Theses stressful feelings are produced by the instinctive need of the body to guard itself (Rice, 2017). Normally, this instinct is appropriate if dangers arise, for instance, when a person is required to sidestep the path of a fast-moving vehicle. Nevertheless, stress may lead to physical as well as health effects if it is not correctly managed.

Then came some hard times. My easy life was shaken when my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. This was her second cancer diagnosis and more serious than the first. Real life stress and worry came crashing in on me. Was I being punished for some wrong doing? Would my mom survive? What would happen to me? I was just a kid, but I knew how serious this was. At first, I did not know where to find help and comfort. Then I remembered seeing my parents turn to prayer and the Bible especially when they had worries. I came across Ephesian 1:4, “Even before he made the world, God loved us/me and chose us/me in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.” This verse reminded me of what my parents told me when I was very young. God chose me to have a relationship with Him through his Son, Christ. He holds me without fault because of the sacrifice his Son made for me. My mom’s illness was not a punishment because I have already been forgiven for my sins. I found peace and