Stress sucks! Many studies show that workplace stress can (and does) contribute to cardiovascualr disease (congestive heart failure, aneurysm, etc.), musculoskeletal disorders (back and upper extremity problems), and psychological disorders (depression, anxiety, etc.).  Got your attention yet?

"What I've Learned from Stress" is the topic of this group writing project from High Calling Blogs. If there is one thing that I think is already apparent, it is the idea that excessive stress should be avoided! But there is more to it than that. In order to recognize the good in it, we must first identify some of the sources of stress.

• Fear - When a perceived threat (physical, social, financial, etc.) gets to a certain point, it becomes fear. Fear then leads to "imagined outcomes," or ideas of how a threat will manifest itself in our lives.
• Uncertainty - When we are not able to predict what is about to happen, then we often feel out of control.
• Expectations - When we are not able to meet certain expectations (either management- or self-imposed) the result is stress.

On the positive side, each of these things can be harnessed into good as well. For example, threats can be opportunities to overcome. Threats are the begining of testimonies and success stories. Think of movies like Gladiator or Braveheart. It is a threat that caused these men to rise up. Threats give us an opportunity to retreat in fear, or be creative, courageous, and to overcome. Furthermore, stressors like uncertainty or expectations have opprtunities to overcome in them as well. For example, improving communication not only helps to beat these problems, but good communicators typically rise up as more effective leaders.

Ultimately, it is not so much about the things that happen to you. You can never fully control what goes on around you. But it is more about what you do with it. You do have control over how you react to things that happen around you. If you do a poor job in managing these events, then it will likely result in stress build-up. If you look for the opportunity, and harness the stressors to work to your advantage, then you will live a much healthier, happier life.

For me, I must continually remind myself that God is here, and that He has equipped me to overcome. It is an act of worship to Him when I recognize that He is with me, and I bring Him glory by overcoming the challenges that come my way.

So to answer that original question, stress has taught me to recognize God's presence and to use the stressful events to bring honor and glory Him.

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