Responding to Stress by Dr. Abraham Twerski

How do we look at stress? How do we respond to stress?

Throughout out lives we will go through stress. The ups and downs of life will come. I listened to this article and wanted to share some of it with you. You can find the full article here: http://www.improvisedlife.com/2015/12/23/what-lobsters-teach-us-about-stress-change/

It talks about lobsters and that they are soft and mushy. They live inside a rigid shell. The shell never expands. So how does a lobster grow? As the lobster grows the shell becomes very confining. So naturally the lobster feels under pressure and uncomfortable. The lobster then goes underneath a rock to protect itself from predators, casts off the shell and produced a new shell. Eventually that shell becomes uncomfortable and the same process happens again. The lobster goes under a rock for protection, off comes the shell and another one is formed. This is repeated many times.

Dr. Twerski says, "The stimulus for the lobster to be able to grow is that it feels uncomfortable. Now, if lobsters had doctors, they would never grow. Because once the lobster feels uncomfortable they would go to the doctor, gets a valium, gets percocet, feels fine...Never casts off its shell.  So what we have to realize that times of stress are also times that signals growth. If we use adversity properly we can grow through adversity".

I think this has truth to it. There will be days that we don't feel like doing anything and days that we feel like giving up. But God is giving us this stress to grow us into who he wants us to be for him. He is giving us trials so we may help others. He is allowing us to go through this so we can give all glory to him that we kept our eyes on him. I feel that God tests us to see where we will go. Who will we give our problems too?

I can't do life without my Heavenly Father ladies. I'm going through the ups and downs as I type this but it makes me feel so much better praying and talking to God about it. It is easy to try and work it out alone. We just want "whatever it is" to be fixed, to go away and to be handled. But WE CAN'T be the ones to do that. It's easier said than done but I have faith and as hard as things can be, I know my King will help me. He is helping us grow. I like to think of the lobster and that right now, I'm under the rock and taking off my shell...OR I'm protected by my Lord and Savior,  Jesus Christ. He is the ROCK. I'm taking off my shell...OR giving Him my problems. The new shell is being formed as I type this. God is always watching, always with us and will never leave us.

So if you are going through something, I'm praying for you. Trust in God and allow yourself to breathe. Ask God for the help you need. Just take a minute to be silent. Pray what is on your heart and mind. He will deliver you!

Dear Father, thank you for the people who are reading this now. I pray for each and every one of them. I ask you to help them give you their problems, worries and concerns in their life. I pray and ask that you help them and bless them. I know how hard it is to let go of things. But please continue to help me and these ladies have full trust in you. You are the God Almighty and you will never leave us nor forsake us. Thank you Father for that and for your precious son, Jesus. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 

My Testimony

I grew up in a Baptist Christian home. Before I was born, my father was a Baptist preacher. So going to church was a must in our house hold. I remember my mother playing the piano and singing worship songs in the mornings. I always had the Spirit around me.

I got baptized when I was 10 at my mom's church. (My parents divorced when I was 9 but that is a different topic for another day).  I do not remember much about that day but I do remember going under the water and coming back up and smiling. I was so excited! I loved learning Bible verses and knowing more about Jesus! 

Then I grew up and went through the teenage emotions and questions. Lets just say, I made A LOT of mistakes. I started dating in high school and didn't put Jesus first. I knew everything back then. Right?? I felt like I wasn't close to the Lord as I needed to be so I got baptized at my then boyfriend's church. I guess I felt then like that was what you were supposed to do. I felt that was what would help me in my life as a renewed faith and it would help me get closer to the Lord himself. I didn't think I needed to do anything else. (I was very wrong!) My boyfriend and I had our ups and downs and I was mentally abused a lot. He cheated and it was just heart breaking back then. I didn't understand why he didn't love me like I "loved" him. We ended up breaking up. Right after, I met another guy who would end up being my husband. That relationship started out bad. I should've known better. I had the strength I needed and my wall built up to not get serious or end up in the same situation as my previous relationship or so I thought! Long story short, we got serious and I thought he had my best interest at heart but I was around drugs and things I would thought of doing and I became someone I did not know anymore. I felt so lost. Then he cheated, we broke up, I was heart broken. We ended up getting back together, engaged and married. Gosh it happened so quick! But I loved him. I did stop doing the bad I had previously done before we got married and he said that is why we started having problems. It was my fault for changing. I was raised that when you get married you fight through the good and the bad because God married you and you are now ONE. Divorce is not an option. Well, lets just say after finding out he cheated while married I went to read in the Bible in Matthew 5:32 where it states, "But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery...".  I really had a hard time accepting this. I didn't want to give up. But it got to the point where I was not myself and I was struggling. I felt I was in a toxic relationship. I was mentally abused and was so confused about things. I will never forget the night I left. I called my mother and father and told them what was about to happen. I prayed for God to give me the strength through this. I remember walking in the door and he was playing a video game. I went straight to our balcony because my heart was beating so fast I had to calm down. I said another prayer and went back inside and told him everything. I knew he was cheating and I was leaving. He blamed it on me. I was totally heart broken. I filed for divorce on what would have been our two year wedding anniversary. I started smoking cigarettes again right before I filed for divorce which I'm not proud of.

Looking back, I have no regrets. I did make mistakes and it was difficult but I feel God puts people in situations to help grow them and make them who they are supposed to be. I am thankful to say that I am not who I was at 23 when I got married. I have grown so much through the hard times. I had to learn who I was and after my divorce that is what I did. I lived alone and had time for me. I still made a lot of mistakes but we all do. We are fallen and sin daily. But I do know that God is LOVE. He loves us unconditionally even though we fail him daily. How amazing is that?! It is hard to understand sometimes because we aren't that forgiving of others. I'm so grateful that the Lord forgives me when I repent and turn away from my sins. I did pray for God to help me to stop smoking. That was on Valentine's Day 2012 and I am thankful to say I have not smoked since then. God is here for us all. He knows our past and our future. He is so close to us and will never fail us. We gotta allow him to help us. I still fail him but my testimony is just that... I went through a roller coaster from my senior year in high school to 5 years later and it was tough but God was still there even though I felt so distant. God will NEVER leave us! We are his children. He is our Father, so just like a parents love for us...his love is so much stronger. I'm so thankful for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for all he has done and still does for me. I can't live without him and the Holy Spirit he has graciously given to us all.

My prayer is this...

Father in heaven, I want to say thank you for Jesus who died for us. Thank you for your Holy Spirit who lives in us. I pray for everyone reading this that who might be going through something like I did or knows of someone who is. I know first hard how tough it can get. I pray for strength and peace for those individuals. I pray for happiness and for you to fill us with your Spirit and help us everyday. Protect us from harm and from any evil that will come our way. Give us strength for this day and help us always to come to you first if we have any problems. I love you Father and I thank you so much for loving us with agape love. I can't even begin to understand that love because it is so amazing. I appreciate all you do for us. Please forgive us of our sins and help us to be more like your son, Jesus Christ. I pray this in your son's beautiful and wonderful name, Amen.