Two Perspectives on Stressby Charles R. SwindollLuke 10:38-42
There is an old Greek motto
that says:
YOU WILL BREAK THE BOW
IF YOU KEEP IT ALWAYS BENT.
Wise words, but how do we
loosen the strings? Even when we make every effort to slow down and relax,
others place high demands on us. Their "shoulds" and
"oughts" and "musts" hit us like strong gusts of wind,
driving our lives onto shallow reefs of frustration---and even despair.
A Biblical Stress Case
To the surprise of some,
the Bible often speaks directly to key issues. Let's step into the time tunnel
to find a perfect example of stress. It is the classic story of Mary and
Martha, two unmarried sisters whom Jesus visited in their home at Bethany. The account
is recorded in the last several verses in Luke 10:
Now as they were traveling
along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her
home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord's feet,
listening to His word. (vv. 38-39)
A lovely scene. Jesus
dropped by, probably unexpectedly, for a brief visit. Mary, the younger,
realized how privileged they were, so she decided to sit down and really make
the most of it. She sat at His feet, drinking in His every word.
But Martha? Well, she was
neither sitting down nor drinking in. She was under a great deal of stress.
But Martha was distracted
with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, "Lord, do You
not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her
to help me." (v. 40)
We read that Martha was
"distracted." Instead of relaxing and enjoying the Lord's presence,
Martha was in a mild frenzy over all her preparations. The lady was trying to
fix a nice meal, get everything done on time, arrange the table, and be a good
hostess . . . while her sister sat in the room and never offered to help. As
her stress reached the point of fracture, Martha reacted strongly.
She assumed the Lord Jesus
didn't care---"Lord, do You not care . . . ?"
She blamed Mary for being
irresponsible---"My sister has left me to do all the serving alone . .
."
She tried to work things
out her way---"Tell her to help me."
It was okay for Martha to
want to serve Jesus something to eat. Commendable, in fact. She was like that:
active, energetic, diligent, thoughtful, and determined. All fine qualities.
But her problem grew out of hand when she attempted to do more than was
necessary. She shot a critical glance at her sister because Mary chose not to
spend her time in the same way, hustling, bustling, and fussing.
It's interesting that
anxiety-prone people frequently blame others for their plight. Rather than
realizing their stress is self-appointed, they often criticize others for
causing it.
Does that sound unfair?
Read on:
But the Lord answered and
said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many
things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part,
which shall not be taken away from her." (vv. 41-42)
Can't you just hear Jesus?
"Marthaaaa . . . Martha!" Then He quickly analyzed her stress in two
words---"worried" and "bothered." The term Dr. Luke uses
for "worried" is one that means "to be pulled in different directions."
The root verb in Greek means "to divide into parts." Martha was being
pulled apart from within. Her stress was caused by this internal tearing. A
classic case study of a stress fracture! The word bothered
suggests originally the idea of "noise, tumult, trouble." She was
agitated, ripped apart in turmoil.
For Martha, who allowed
herself to get caught in the sticky web of stress, the important got replaced
by the urgent.
The Perspective of Jesus
The night Jesus was placed
under arrest and later subjected to a series of mock trials which ultimately
led to His crucifixion, He had been praying to the Father. In that prayer He
said: "I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which
You have given Me to do" (John 17:4).
When you think that
through, you will be surprised. He said that He had completed the job. Mission
accomplished. Yet there were still regions which had not heard. There were
still hundreds of blind and sick and lame people as yet untouched and
unchanged. There were still millions of slaves in the Roman Empire being
mistreated. Yet He said He had accomplished what the Father had for Him to do.
Even though there were still numerous needs, our Savior was free of stress. Unlike
His nervous friend Martha, Jesus maintained the right perspective.
Which approach do you tend
to take? If you tend to get caught up in the hurry-worry sindrome, there is a
better way to live. In Part Two, we'll talk about overcoming worry. I think we can all be blessed by this great
devotional from Charles Swindoll. I don’t
know about you but I really hate when I am caught up in that syndrome. That’s why I need to give everything to Jesus
daily!!! I hope you have a Simply
Heavenly day. God bless you!!!
0 comments:
Post a Comment