Don’t Worry…
Week #11
Scripture Reference: Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)
6 Don’t worry
about anything; instead, pray about
everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His
peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Worry and Stress can be a huge
factor when you are going through infertility.
You hear all of the time from people “if you just relax, it will
happen”. They tell you stories of “when my friend stopped trying she got
pregnant”. What these well-meaning people fail to realize is that sometimes
infertility is more than a state of mind. There is sometimes a physical reason
people have trouble conceiving. What they also fail to realize is that friend
that “stopped trying”, never really stopped trying. Trying to get pregnant was
always in the back of their mind, but as a coping mechanism they “stopped
trying”. I have wanted to scream at these people. I know that they are trying
to help, or trying to make themselves feel better, but stress/worry is not the
cause of endometriosis. The endometriosis is not going to go away if I just
stop stressing. However, stress and worry is not good for you.
According
to the American Society for Reproductive medicine “Many women who are being treated for infertility have as much
stress as women who have cancer or heart disease”. We also know that stress and
worry are not good for you. Luke 12:25 asks if worrying can add a single moment
to our lives. The answer is no. Worrying
accomplishes nothing. In fact, it is bad for us physically and mentally.
Common effects of stress ...
|
||
... On your
body
|
... On your
mood
|
... On your
behavior
|
·
Headache
·
Muscle
tension or pain
·
Chest
pain
·
Fatigue
·
Change
in sex drive
·
Stomach
upset
·
Sleep
problems
|
·
Anxiety
·
Restlessness
·
Lack
of motivation or focus
·
Irritability
or anger
·
Sadness
or depression
|
·
Overeating
or under eating
·
Angry
outbursts
·
Drug
or alcohol abuse
·
Tobacco
use
·
Social
withdrawal
|
Source: American
Psychological Association's "Stress in America" report, 2010
So, if worry and
stress are so bad for us, but infertility can cause a large amount of stress,
are we stuck? The answer is no! A big, resounding NO!
WE HAVE HOPE!!!
Again, read the scripture I put at
the top of this blog. It says Don’t Worry! God does not give us commands that
are not possible. He also does not give us commands without telling us how to
make it possible! So here it goes. Here is how we keep our stress and worry
levels in check. Don’t worry, pray about everything and you will experience God’s
peace. That sounds like a great promise to me.
The number one way to alleviate stress and worry, give it to God!
1
Peter 5:7 tells us to cast our worries and cares on God because He cares for
us. Fill yourself with scriptures on God’s peace. Find teachings about casting
your cares on God. One of my personal favorites was Rick Renner’s “Casting Your
Cares”. Jason and I have listened to this audio file over and over again. This audio file can be found at www.renner.org.
Pastor Jeff recently did a service about Jehovah Shalom. Meaning God is
Peace. He is our peace. You can listen to this service at lifepointnow.com.
What
else can you do to alleviate stress? You have got to find ways to keep your
stress in check. This means find the techniques that work for you. I have found
that running is my stress relief. It relaxes me and gives me a goal. I am
currently training to run a full marathon that I will be running in February. This gives me a goal
other than trying to get pregnant. Now here is your challenge: what relaxes
you? Are there relaxation techniques that work for you? Does exercise work for
you? Research and find what works for you.
Sources:
WEEKLY ASSIGNMENT:
First, submerse
yourself in the scriptures that teach you how to cast your cares on God and the
scriptures that teach you that God is your peace. Find teachings about God being
your peace. Get your focus where it belongs and off of the problem.
Second, research ways
to reduce your stress level. This could be exercising, finding relaxation
techniques, starting your day listening to praise and worship. Find what works
for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment