Stress

The picture below has two identical dolphins in it. It was used in a case study on stress levels at the mayo Clinic and later at Fletcher Medical Center in Burlington.

Look at both dolphins. They are identical. A closely monitored, scientific study revealed that, in spite of the fact that the dolphins are identical, a person under stress will find many differences between the two dolphins.

The more differences a person finds, the more stress that person in experiencing.

Scroll down the page and look at the photograph below, and if you find more than one or two differences, you may need to take a vacation...














A friend gave this to me today and I thought it was great. While it is funny, there is a lot of truth to the fact that we are all stressed to some degree.

While at times I am the poster child for a stressed person, I know that that is not what God wants for us. He wants us to have peace (John 14:27) and life to the full (John 10:10). Perhaps we just need to slow down and know that He is God...

"Be still and know that I am God."
Psalm 46:10a

Be Still

For our anniversary this year, Connie and I decided to take a weekend getaway to Kelleys Island. We had gone there last year and stayed in a bed and breakfast there which was great so I decided to make reservations there again. Unfortunately, I was a little late in doing so, so we got one of their smaller rooms which did not have its own bathroom.

When we arrived, we were surprised to see that the room not only was smaller, but the bed was too (It was a double bed!). Some of you may be wondering why this is a big deal. Well, I'm 6' 8" tall so I was going to be hanging off the bed more than normal.

In any event, we tried not to focus on that and to just enjoy each other and the island. Well, that is exactly what we did. We had an awesome time and even were able to sleep a bit though we weren't as comfortable as we would have liked. It truly was a fantastic, relaxing weekend!

We both realized that we need to carve out more time out of our hectic schedules to be with each other. We also recognized that we need to do the same with God.

Be still and know that I am God.

Psalm 46:10

Be Still...

Over the past couple of weeks I have encouraged at least three people to take a retreat for the first time. Each of these people were either really stressed or they were feeling somewhat disconnected from God. I was encouraged to add this to my repertoire about a year and a half ago and it has really helped me…in so many ways, especially in my relationship with Christ.

Because I have been a little stressed lately and because I am seeking His direction in a lot of areas of my life, I thought I better take my own advice. So…yesterday, I had a retreat of my own. It amazes me how different each one is for me.

Sometimes I get some incredible revelations while other times I feel God’s presence in amazing ways.

Yesterday was not one of those revelation days. But, it was a day filled with His presence and peace. I spent some time praising Him. I did some reading. I did some praying. I spent time simply being quiet before the Lord. I spent about three and a half hours in all, maybe four.

And you know what? The second half of my day went very smoothly. Do you think there is a connection here?

It’s amazing how things work when you put Him first.

“Be still and know that I am God.”
Psalm 46:10a