How do you deal with stress? I’ve been through my fair share, and I have to admit, I haven’t always dealt with it in a godly way. I would either strong-arm it and push through, pretending everything was okay (while not sleeping, not eating and sniping at unsuspecting victims) or I would talk about it ad nauseam to anyone unfortunate enough to be within earshot. Neither of these strategies worked very well.
Over the last few months, my husband, Chris, and I have been subject to a few stressors. First, his dear father became ill and we practically lived with my in-laws until his passing and funeral. The following week, I headed off to a writer’s conference, while Chris recovered from his first-ever bout with the flu. I returned after four days of constant stimulation (not much fun for an introvert) and we jumped on an international flight to Japan. When we landed, we discovered that our son, who set up the entire journey, was unable to meet us at the airport. Do you know how many people in Japan speak English? Not enough. I know this sounds ungracious, considering we were in their country. But when you’re nearly two hours from your Tokyo hotel and have no idea how to get there, panic sets in.
We survived that trip and learned how to communicate with sign language. Chris discovered that his minimal Spanish did him no good there. Fortunately, the Japanese are polite and respectful. They treated us kindly with only a few raised eyebrows.
Fast forward a few weeks. We headed off for a long-awaited trip to Tennessee. “Why Tennessee?” you might ask. It’s been on our hearts for a couple years to move to a new location. We’d checked out a few other states, but Tennessee was on the top of our list. While there, I received my very first book contract. The intense four-day conference I’d attended six weeks before was not a waste of time after all. An hour later, Chris received the much-awaited phone call from the Billy Graham Disaster Relief Chaplaincy Program—he’d been accepted. It was obvious that God wanted to bless our time in this beautiful state.
We came home three weeks ago with the decision to sell our home and make the adventurous move halfway across the U.S. A week before we even put our house on the market, we received an offer. How can this be? Well, with God, anything is possible. So, while we pack our things and plan the trek, I’m also trying to learn the ins and outs of Facebook marketing. I rarely even looked at Facebook before I received the book contract.
Did I say I like to be in control?
Exciting, yes. A little scary, definitely! As amazing as it seems (most especially to me) I’m not feeling the stress. In the article, Handling Stress: Answers in Genesis, you, too, can find out how to turn your habit of stress into a habit of prayer.
And remember Who is in control.
Comments 1
What a whirl wind a Jennifer but here’s the adventure you wanted! 😉 Glad God’s in control which is great to remember in the midst of the chaos. There’s always lessons to learn when we lean into Him. Thanks for sharing. Did you accept the offer?