The last two years have brought on stress due to various reason for many of us. Some have had death in the family or the death of a friend. Others have experienced hardships at work and at home due to troublesome situations caused by the pandemic. Let’s face it, life has not been easy. But your faith helped you to hold firm to your belief that things would get better. You have overcome great challenges, and now you are ready to push forward into the foreseeable future
Consider yourself a natural diamond. Diamonds come from a perfect combination of the earth’s elements fusing together over time. They come from within. And under the right circumstances, and at the right time, they naturally surface. Life can be like a diamond that is formed under pressure.
However, it doesn’t matter how much pressure you have endured the last two years. The point is that you have made it despite the difficult times. Your life has been tested under extreme pressure, and the dark days of stress and pressure have made you stronger.
When we are under stress, we usually come face to face with a hurdle preventing us from achieving our goal or objective. Whether we overcome a hurdle or succumb to it, we learn, and this knowledge gives us the strength to carry on. Stress signifies that we are on the right track.
However, we do not prosper from extra stress. This happens when we place added pressure on ourselves to achieve goals or allow external forces to influence us. Remember, the earth doesn’t add pressure to form a diamond. It is simply natural.
Stress can be beneficial. Under pressure, we can complete some of our best work and perform amazing feats. On May 7, 2021, a Virginian police officer single-handily saved a woman trapped under her car after a traffic accident. He sprang into action and lifted the overturned SUV just enough so the woman could escape. Without the added pressure and stress of the situation, it is unlikely the officer would have found this hidden courage and strength.
The Bible teaches this to us in stressful times: “Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Remember that all things are possible for one who believes. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Sometimes all it takes is a little bit of pressure to allow the diamonds within us to surface. So, now is not the time to give into pressure that you might be experience in life. And Never Give Up! Never Give Up! Never Give Up!
By Chaplain Ghosten
chaplain@lhp.net
