It’s the time of year where students are stressed for multiple reasons. For all of them, final exams are lurking. For those graduating, what the future holds, for most, is still an unanswered question. And many are embarking on new adventures, such as internships and mission trips to foreign lands.
The typical response is to freak out, to post angst-filled messages on social media, to live in denial and resort to pursuing distractions that will alleviate their stress—movies, video games, hanging out, and spending hours on their phones. And some will exhaust themselves pulling all-nighters in desperation to prepare for exams.
This is the campus culture and to the students living in it, it seems normal. Similarly, in the adult, working world culture, it seems normal to stress out over the demands of one’s job, marriage, children, financial security, and the future of the country.
But it is exactly in these times, that as Christ-followers we must ask, what difference does Jesus make? In this passage, Paul, who had a much more stressful life than 99.9% of us (II Corinthians 11:23-28), tells us not to be anxious about ANYTHING. I suppose we can assume that includes exams, paying the bills, future plans, etc. Instead, he tells us to handle every stressful situation by taking it to the Lord. Hmmm, how many of us take that very seriously?
It is so easy for us to claim the Christian label for ourselves, while practically living similarly to those who have no faith. As James exhorts us, we need not just to read the Word, but do what it says (James 1:22). And that includes its solution to dealing with our stress and anxiety.
Today, consider the circumstances in which you find yourself and which are causing you a lot of stress. Are you dealing with it any differently than those who do not follow the Lord? What difference does Jesus truly make in your life at a practical level? The answer to this question can be very informative with regard to the true nature of our faith.
© Jim Musser 2016
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