BEAUTY FROM ASHES

You type in the search bar: “stress relief gifts”. Ad after ad pops up offering a variety of stress/anxiety relief gift options. From “fidget cube stress relieving toy” to “stress/anxiety relief device” to “silicone pop bubble stress relieving keychains”. Nowadays it’s become normal to see a huge production of items that advertise helping out with stress and anxiety relief. I remember walking into a sports center one day and right by the register there were on display, in different sizes and colors, stress-relieving balls. More and more people are being diagnosed with GAD (generalized anxiety disorder). And with it the need to have readily available medications as well as non-pharmacological management options to treat anxiety/stress/depression.

Stress is unavoidable. Whether at home or at work, we will get stressed. There will be times in which things spin of control and we will get anxious. As a nurse, I go through waves of stress while working. I won’t deny that I do get tense and anxious. As I was coming in to work one day, my coworker said, “Hey! I have a gift for you!” She handed me a simple gold ring. It had a second band that spun around and engraved in the middle was a little black cross. She told me, “When you get stressed, just spin it around!”
A few hours later, I was having issues with one of my patients. I could feel myself stressing again. As I sat back at my desk, spinning the ring and trying to calm down, I felt God speak to my heart: “Did you forget you can talk to me?” In that moment, I felt sad and ashamed of myself. How could I forget that I can talk to the “Great I Am“? Instead of spinning that ring, I could have brought all my worries and fears to God. I could have placed them all in His hands.

God’s Word has so many verses on how to deal with anxiety! But many times, the worries and fears blind us. We become overwhelmed. Our hearts become heavy and we feel everything spin out of control. And instead of going to God in prayer, we try to fix things on our own. Or we try to substitute God’s presence by looking for other ways to obtain peace and stress-relief. As believers, we are not exempt from the distress of this world. But Christ reminds us that He has overcome it all!

A verse that truly encourages me every time, is 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (NIV) Casting is “an act of throwing something forcefully.” In Greek, “casting” is used to refer to a man carrying a heavy burden and throwing it on the camel’s back. God wants us to throw our burdens upon him and He’ll carry them for us. “Casting” is not a command but the means of how we humble ourselves (1 Peter 5:6). “God’s care comes when we humble ourselves and depend on His grace.” (versebyversecommentary.com)

Instead of relying on our strength and on other stress-relieving options, let us humble ourselves and cast our anxieties upon Him. How much are we to cast on him? ALL of it. All of our worries, all of our fears, all of our doubts, all of our anxiety, all of our stress. Why? Because He cares for us and watches over us. Every time I look down on my ring, I’m reminded that God is willing to carry my worries. I need only to go to Him. I’m reminded of this song I learned as a little girl. Cares Chorus by Kelly Willard:

“I cast all my cares upon You
I lay all of my burdens down at your feet
And any time I don’t know what to do
I will cast all my cares upon You.”

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#anxiety #stressrelief #godcares #faithoverfear #fyp #explorepage

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