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Stressed!

By nature, I don’t worry about too much. But that doesn’t mean that I never get stressed out. The stress level in my life is on the rise right now.

  • This is my wife’s first full week back at work after being on summer break. It’s been tough getting back into that routine.
  • Both of our boys are on antibiotics. One sick kid is bad enough. We’ve got two. Doctor visits, medical bills, etc., etc., etc.
  • I’m exhausted. I haven’t slept well for a long time. As you know, fatigue compounds stress. Plus, I have felt lousy for a couple of weeks.
  • We’ve got a big project at church that is entering the final stages. The basement renovation is weighing heavy on my mind. Everything is going great. It’s just a big project that has taken the entire summer. I want this thing done!
  • My mother-in-law is currently hospitalized with pneumonia. Obviously that’s a concern for us.
  • My schedule has been ridiculous lately. And it’s getting even more hectic.
  • I’ve got some tough decisions ahead of me. And I’m not sure how it will all turn out.

    • Add all that up and you know what you get…STRESS!!!

    I struggled with whether or not to post this. It probably sounds like I’m just a big whiner. I don’t mean to say that my problems are worse than somebody else’s. In fact, I know a lot of people would love to only have to deal with my problems.

    But I decided to post this, not so I could have a public forum to complain, but to demonstrate that I’m not immune to stress.

    There has historically been a disconnect between pastor and parishioner. The thought is that somehow, a minister doesn’t struggle with everyday life. He’s above it.

    Not true.

    Just because I “work for God” doesn’t mean that I’m above the struggles of life. I’m prayerfully seeking ways to deal with stress. I want to honor God, even during the crunch times of my life.

    I don’t always succeed at that. When I get stressed, you know who gets the worst part of me? My family. Now, I know that couldn’t possibly be the case with you, could it?

    I know that this dishonors God. And I’m praying for strength and wisdom to do better.

    Thanks for letting me use my blog as a digital pressure valve. And ACC, thanks for not requiring your pastor to be perfect.

    This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 20th, 2008 at 3:16 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

    4 Responses to “Stressed!”

    1. Michelle Prather Says:
      August 20th, 2008 at 6:11 am

      We all have our problems that we must take care of. You are not an exception, and I’m glad for your honesty and humility. I’ll be praying for you and your family!

    2. Marie Young Says:
      August 20th, 2008 at 8:47 am

      Josh and I will be praying for you guys and your family. If you need ANYTHING please let us know.

    3. Tony York Says:
      August 20th, 2008 at 1:08 pm

      Just finished reading a book by James McDonald - “Lord, change my attitude before its too late”. Sounds like you have a busy schedule at the moment, so a book to read is probably not what you are looking for.

      Stress is a tough trap not to fall into…especially in this day and age where we sometimes feel like we have to be everything to everybody. I don’t think stress is a bad thing. God will let us experience stress to let us see how we respond to it. It has a way of uncovering areas that are open for development in our lives especially if we handled the stress poorly.

      I’m with you, though, I need to get more sleep. That will definitely help my ability to deal with the stresses in my life.

    4. Dave Hubert Says:
      August 20th, 2008 at 9:55 pm

      The best book I ever read on dealing with stress was “Running On Empty, Contemplative Spirituality for Overachievers” by Fil Anderson. It was really honest and hit me where I lived as a minister. I wish I had read it before I did, though. It would have saved me some distress.

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