Coping with Christ

So far in my husband and I's marriage, we have yet to be confronted by an extremely stressful situation.  We have been very fortunate for that. However, personally, I have had several stressful situations that have seemed unbearable, unachievable, impossible to overcome, and ultimately too heavy for me to handle.  I have also been with others when they have gone through situations like this.  How we choose to deal or cope with this stress will greatly influence those around us especially children.

Coping with stress is not just getting by, not mindlessly going through the struggle.  Instead, it is facing our challenges head-on and being realistic about them.  Just because something is stressful doesn't mean we can't be happy, or can't communicate with those around us. 

Right before I finished my sophomore year of high school my parents decided we were going to move.  The purpose of this move was so they could attend college in a city a couple hours from where we were currently living. At this time in my life, some were surprised that I willing and happily went along with the move.  I did this because I trusted in my parents and their decision. When my parents put our house up for sale, there were no offers.  My parents were looking for a house to rent in the city we were moving to and there was nothing that was bigger than a one bedroom (there were going to be four adults).  This went on for months, they searched every day for a place to live and still nothing.  I watched as my parents stressed about what to do.  They had both been accepted into college and were going to be started in just a few months. They often questioned if their decision to go was the right thing.  But throughout this stressful time, they kept a positive attitude, always saying that it will work out.  I am such a worrier so sometimes the "it will all work out" phrase can add even more stress.  But since my parents seemed to believe it, I did too.  Our family was able to continue on happily throughout this time, actually even growing closer, because of how my parents decided to cope with the stress of the move.  Weeks before they were to start school we were able to find a place to live.  The time we spent working together as a family during this trial helped us become closer in a lot of things. This benefit in the struggle prepared us more than we could have ever imagined for when we moved into the new house.  Due to the house being less than a third of what we were used to, we were now closer in a whole new way. With all of us sharing one bathroom, things could have gotten intense.  But because of our previous stress, we were able to learn how to work with one another better.

The Lord gives us opportunities and experiences in our lives to learn and grow from. Often times these can be stressful situations. Sheri Dew, the author of Amazed by Grace, said: "He rarely moves the mountains in front of us, but He always helps us climb them." Through all these stressful situations the Lord is right there by our side, helping us through it.  Some of these experiences may feel unbearable, unachievable, impossible to overcome, and ultimately too heavy for us to handle.  But when we turn to our Heavenly Father, we will have what we need to cope with what we are going through.  Just as I trust in my parents and believed them when they said "it will all work out" we need to do the same with the Lord.