I'm going to share some insights from my friend Paulus on Managing Stress. But before we dive in, I have to tell you that this week I'm feeling energized and refreshed.
Over the last week, my daughter had her first birthday and my wife and I celebrated 5 years of marriage.
Last week I spoke to two audiences– IN PERSON. It’s great to have the opportunity to invest in teams and feel the energy of being in the same room, learning with other people.
And to top it all off, I’m getting to spend several days with my good friend Paulus Wiratno. If you’ve known me for a while, I’ve probably told you about Paulus, an incredible man who helps lead orphanages and plant churches in Indonesia. He and I co-authored The Lepers’ Lessons a few years ago.
Which brings me back to today’s topic. Over the weekend Paulus shared a message on Managing Stress and I believe there are some insights that each of us need to apply in our lives:
1) Solve Every Conflict
I think we know that big conflicts create stress in our lives. However, we often overlook the small ones. Paulus used the illustration of how much an iPad weighs. He held his arm extended all the way with the iPad in his hand and remarked about the iPad would not be heavy to hold. He then told us that if he held the iPad for a long time (many hours or even days) that it would begin to cause pain.
His takeaway was that even the smallest things cause pain and stress when we hold onto them for too long. If you have any conflict with other people, work to solve it. Even if someone has wronged you, forgive them.
2) Don’t Worry
I get it. This is easier said than done. However, when you allow yourself to be consumed with worry, you add stress to your life.
Corrie Ten Boom famously said, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorry, it empties today of its strength.”
Corrie Ten Boom famously said, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorry, it empties today of its strength.”
What are you worried about? Does worrying help solve a problem? No. Instead it just robs your joy.
3) Guard Your Mind
If you’re going to solve conflicts and resist worry, it’s essential to keep your mind focused on good things. When the apostle Paul was writing to the church at Philippi he said, “…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” – Philippians 4:8
Paul wrote those words from a jail cell. He knew the importance of focusing on the positive and keeping out negative thoughts, even when his circumstances were challenging.
Here’s the truth: in our world today, we all have a lot of stress. This message may seem simple, but it carries with it a lot of truth.
Make the choice today to solve conflicts with others, eliminate worry, and guard your mind.
I can’t wait to share more lessons I’ve learned from Paulus next week.
P.S. If you live in Atlanta, Paulus is speaking to a group at the ADDO office tomorrow morning (Wednesday) for breakfast. If you’d like to join, send me an email and I’ll give you more information.
