STRESS BUSTERS
Matthew 11:28-30
INTRO.- Stress. Who needs it? No one. Who wants it? No one. Who has it? Everyone.
ILL.- Joe Krebs is a local TV anchorman in Washington D.C. His three-hour morning newscast requires that he wake up every morning at 2:30 a.m. He found out about the connection between stress and health the hard way.
He said, “The doctor sat down beside my bed and said, ‘Mr. Krebs, your EKG tells me you’re having a heart attack.’ And I said, ‘Having a heart attack at this moment, as we speak?’ He said, ‘YES, AS WE SPEAK.’ “
And Krebs said, “That was a shock to me.”
ILL.- Here’s another. It’s a letter from a young woman. She writes: “I am 19, and my mother died four months ago after a hard battle with breast cancer. My parents are divorced. Every time I turn around, I have another health problem. I have horrible stomach pains. I get bad headaches and often feel faint and dizzy. I’m always tired but have trouble sleeping. And I recently had what I have been told is an anxiety attack. I just want to feel normal. Could all of these problems be stress-related?”
What do you think?
Brethren, I believe that everybody experiences stress in some form or another.
ILL.- How many of you remember the popular 1984 movie “Ghostbusters”? Bill Murray and Dan Aykoryd played a couple of odd-ball scientists who decided to set up shop in an old firehouse and become Ghostbusters. They supposedly trapped ghosts and spirits for money. They wise-crack their way through the city and accidentally stumble into a gateway to another dimension, which will release untold evil on the city. AND, OF COURSE, THE GHOSTBUSTERS ARE CALLED ON TO SAVE THE BIG APPLE.
Quickly, let me say, I don’t believe in ghosts! I don’t believe that when people die some of them come back in the form of ghosts.
But just as those bumbling “Ghostbusters” busted ghosts, so we need to bust stress in our lives! We need to somehow do away with stress in our lives. We need to trap it and get rid of it as best we can.
PROP. - Doctors give us all kinds of advice to rid stress from our lives and Dr. Steve (although I’m not a doctor, but I know a good one!) wants to give you his advice on how to rid your life from stress.
1- Pray hard
2- Sing praise
3- Laugh loudly
4- Serve humbly
5- Cut anger
6- Forgive people
7- Enjoy life
8- Unload more
9- Fear God (Don’t worry. I will not deal with all of these)
I. PRAY HARD
Matt. 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
ILL.- When my kids were still in school, they would say things like, “I don’t understand what the teacher is talking about?” And I would say, “Ask questions!”
Brethren, if you don’t ask, how do you expect to find out the answers to some of life’s problems and perplexities. And the one person we should be asking is our Creator, our Heavenly Father.
When we are faced with difficulties and stress in life, we should be asking our Father what’s going on. And we should be asking more than “whassup?”
Matt. 7:11 “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
When our backs are against the wall, we’re beat up and stressed out, we need to ask our Father for help, for mercy, and for grace. “Father, help me! Please give me some relief! I’m burdened and bothered. I need help!”
ILL.- A friend of mine was involved in a car accident in Paducah, KY, one time. The wreck was bad enough that he ended up out of his truck on the side of the road. He said he thought he was going to die. I asked, “What did you do?” He said, “I prayed! I asked God to forgive me of my sins!”
Brethren, sometimes our lives are a wreck or perhaps a wreck waiting to happen. Consequently, we need to be praying a bunch!
And if our Heavenly Father won’t hear us and help us, ain’t nobody going to do it! HE IS OUR GREATEST LEANING POST! We can call on Him when we can’t contact anybody else. And sometimes, it seems like there is no one to listen and care and love, except Him.
Phil. 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Ah ha! There it is! There’s the answer to stress. At least, one answer to stress. Pour your heart out to the Lord in prayer and He’ll bring peace to your heart and mind.
ILL.- Sir George Smith and his guide were climbing the Weisshorn in the Swiss Alps. It was stormy as they were making their climb on the sheltered side of the peak. When they reached the summit, they were filled with excitement. Sir George forgot about the fierce winds and was nearly blown over the edge. The guide grabbed him and exclaimed, “ON YOUR KNEES, SIR. YOU ARE SAFE HERE ONLY ON YOUR KNEES!”
Brethren, life is very rough and windy. You are safe here only on your knees. PRAY HARD. It’s a stress reliever.
II. SING PRAISE
James 5:13 “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.”
And I say, “Is anyone sad, depressed, and stressed? LET HIM SING SONGS OF PRAISE.”
Psalm 59:16 “But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.”
All through this book we find the Psalmist singing praise to the Lord. You get the idea that the Psalmist is trying to tell us something about praise, AND HE IS! When we saturate our lives with praise to the Lord, life gets better! Things change!
ILL. Paul Harvey told about a 3-year-old boy who went to the grocery store with his mother. Before they entered the grocery store she said to him, "Now you’re not going to get any chocolate chip cookies, so don’t even ask."
She put him up in the cart and he sat in the little child’s seat while she wheeled down the aisles. He was doing just fine until they came to the cookie section. He saw the chocolate chip cookies and he stood up in the seat and said, “Mom, can I have some chocolate chip cookies?” She said, “I told you not even to ask. You’re not going to get any at all.” So he sat back down.
They continued down the aisles, but in their search for certain items they ended up back in the cookie aisle. “Mom, can I please have some chocolate chip cookies?” She said, “I told you that you can’t have any. Now sit down and be quiet.”
Finally, they were approaching the checkout lane. The little boy sensed that this may be his last chance. So just before they got to the line, he stood up on the seat of the cart and shouted in his loudest voice, “In the name of Jesus, may I have some chocolate chip cookies?” And everybody round about just laughed. Some even applauded.
And, according to Paul Harvey, due to the generosity of the other shoppers, the little boy and his mother left with 23 boxes of chocolate chip cookies.
Brethren, all I know is this: IT PAYS TO PRAY! It pays to pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It may even pay to holler in the name of Jesus. And it definitely pays to praise Him! Things change when we begin to praise Him in song!
In Acts 16:25-26 when Paul and Silas praised the Lord in song that’s when their prison doors flew open and they were released.
Do you want to be released from your prison of stress and strife? Then get off by yourself and start singing praise to the Lord! Or perhaps get in the middle of the grocery store and start singing “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.” Sing praise.
III. LAUGH LOUDLY
Prov. 17:22 “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”
A cheerful heart, a cheerful face, and a laughing mouth is good medicine. It’s good for the person who is laughing and for the person who is hearing the laughter.
ILL.- In The Anatomy of an Illness: As Perceived by the Patient, Norman Cousins tells of being hospitalized with a rare, crippling disease. When he was diagnosed as incurable, Cousins checked out of the hospital. Aware of the harmful effects that negative emotions can have on the body, Cousins reasoned the reverse was true. So he borrowed a movie projector and prescribed his own treatment, consisting of Marx Brothers films and old "Candid Camera" reruns. It didn’t take long for him to discover that 10 minutes of laughter provided two hours of pain-free sleep. Amazingly, his debilitating disease was eventually reversed.
Laughter is good medicine. It can bring about a certain amount of healing in the body and the soul.
ILL.- Let’s think about movies. PLEASE DON’T RAISE YOUR HAND! How many of you have seen the new thriller movie, “Hannibal” with Anthony Hopkins? If you have, let me tell you, it will definitely not decrease your stress level!
I saw that first movie with Anthony Hopkins “The Silence of the Lambs” and it just put me on the edge of my seat. I was “wired” and “keyed up” for a while after watching it. I was certainly not calm afterward.
DOES THAT TELL YOU ANYTHING ABOUT MOVIES! Movies are moving! They can move us “up and down” or perhaps “in and out” or even “near or away” from right living! And from calm living!
Apparently, good clean humor can bless us and help us to be relieved of some stress. Perhaps we all should do what Norman Cousins did: go see a good funny movie or perhaps rent one. I’ve seen some good ones over the years and they were worth their weight in gold.
WHAT’S THE FUNNIEST, CLEAN MOVIE YOU’VE EVER SEEN? I’ll tell you mine, if you tell me yours. If it’s on video, rent it and watch it again.
We all need a good laugh now and then.
ILL.- There was a rather old fashioned lady who was planning a couple of weeks vacation in Florida. She was also quite delicate and elegant with her language. She wrote a letter to a particular campground and asked for reservations. She wanted to make sure the campground was fully equipped but didn’t know quite how to ask about the "toilet" facilities. She just couldn’t bring herself to write the word "toilet" in her letter. After much deliberation, she finally came up with the old fashioned term "Bathroom Commode," but when she wrote that down, she still thought she was being too forward.
So she started all over again; rewrote the entire letter and referred to the “Bathroom Commode" simply as the "B.C.". Does the campground have its
own "B.C.?" is what she actually wrote.
Well, the campground owner wasn’t old fashioned at all, and when he got the letter, he couldn’t figure out what the lady was talking about. That "B.C." really stumped him. After worrying about it for several days, he showed the letter to other campers, but they couldn’t figure out what the lady meant either. The campground owner finally came to the conclusion that the lady must be asking about the location of the local Baptist Church.
So he sat down and wrote the following reply: "Dear Madam: I regret very much the delay in answering your letter, but I now take pleasure of informing you that the "B.C." is located nine miles north of the camp site and is capable of seating 250 people at one time.
I admit it is quite a distance away if you are in the habit of going regularly but no doubt you will be pleased to know that a great number of people take their lunches along, and make a day of it..... They usually arrive early and stay late. The last time my wife and I went was six years ago, and it was so crowded we had to stand up the whole time we were there. It may interest you to know that right now, there is a supper planned to raise money to buy more seats.....
They plan to hold the supper in the middle of the B.C., so everyone can watch and talk about this great event..... I would like to say it pains me very much, not to be able to go more regularly, but it is surely not for lack of desire on my part....
As we grow older, it seems to be more and more of an effort, particularly in cold weather..... If you decide to come down to the campground, perhaps I could go with you the first time you go...sit with you...and introduce you to all the other folks..... This is really a very friendly community....
I THOUGHT YOU NEEDED A GOOD LAUGH. Laughter really is good medicine. It is infectious and contagious. Look at the people to whom you are drawn. It’s not the sullen and sad. It’s the joyful and jubilant! It’s the happy and hilarious!
Laughter is also winsome or beautiful and delightful. To win some people to the Lord we must be “winsome.”
Laughter is good medicine. It’s a stress buster and generally, a sign of something good in a person’s life!
ILL.- Wayne Smith preached at the Southland Christian Church for forty years. He used a lot of humor in his sermons. His life was infectious. He loved people and it showed.
One time he was in a restaurant with several people. They were swapping stories, laughing and just having a good time. And, of course, Wayne was laughing his head off. While there, Wayne decided to invite the waitress to church and she indicated she would be in church the next Sunday.
The next Sunday after church was over that waitress walked out and passed by Wayne Smith. He recognized her and asked her if she liked the sermon. She said, “It was okay, but I really came to hear you laugh.”
Laughter is infectious. It can be a good witness for Christ. Laughter is good medicine. Don’t be afraid to laugh, even if people think you are crazy.
IV. ENJOY LIFE
Eccl. 8:15 “So, I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun.”
ILL.- Howard Hendricks tells about a good friend of his. He said, “Not long ago I lost one of my best friends, a woman 86-years-old, the most exciting teacher I’ve ever been exposed to. The last time I saw her on planet earth was at a Christian party. We were sitting there on eggshells, looking pious (sounds like MCC people), when she walked in and said, ‘Well, Hendricks, I haven’t seen you for a long time. What are the five best books you’ve read in the past year?’
“She had a way of changing a group’s dynamics. Her philosophy was, ‘Let’s not bore each other with each other. Let’s get into a discussion, and if we can’t find anything to discuss, let’s get into an argument.’
“She was 83-years-old on her last trip to the Holy Land. She went there with a group of NFL football players. (Wow! What a woman!) One of my most vivid memories of her is seeing her out front yelling back to them, ‘COME ON MEN, GET WITH IT!’
“She died in her sleep at her daughter’s home in Dallas. Her daughter told me that just before she died, she had written out her goals for the next ten years.”
Brethren, there was a woman who obviously enjoyed life! No doubt, she was absolutely convinced that God wanted her to enjoy life as long as there was breath left in her body. AND WE SHOULD TOO!
God is not some kind of “spoil sport.” God is not dull! God is not a bore! He is not against us laughing, having a good time, and enjoying life. HE IS FOR US! He wants us to be able to enjoy what He has created. Why do you think He made it in the first place?
To share in it. To rejoice in it. To praise Him in it and for it!
I Tim. 4:4 “For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.”
Paul was writing these words in regard to food. Nothing is to be rejected! Not even bad beef! (That’s a private joke) Ha! Ha!
Brothers and sisters, what is it that you enjoy in life? Hunting and fishing? Gardening? Planting flowers? Playing in the dirt? Playing golf? Lifting weights? Snowmobiling? Washing clothes? Washing dishes? Running the vacuum? (Ha!) Running? Walking? Biking? Jogging? Jazzercising? (Go girls!) Going? Going shopping?
Whatever it is, do it, give thanks for it, and rejoice in it, because it is from God to be enjoyed! AND IT CAN BE A GREAT STRESS RELIEVER!
ILL.- Erma Bombeck once said, “Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart.”
ENJOY LIFE. Enjoy the things that God has given you. Be thankful for them. Don’t ever forget to say, “Thank you, Lord.” And allow these things to relieve some of the pressures and stress of this life. You need them. And I need them.
CONCLUSION----------------------------------------
Stress Busters.
1- Pray hard
2- Sing praise
3- Laugh loudly
4- Enjoy life
But there are also other things we can do:
- Serve others
- Cut anger
- Forgive people
- Unload more (unload your burdens on someone who cares)
- Fear God (respect God, revere God, honor God)
ILL.- The popular news commentator, Paul Harvey, tells about the time when he was baptized in a small country church while on vacation. He described his baptism as “the experience which made his life complete.”
He said, “The preacher had said there was nothing magic in the water. Yet as I descended into its depth and rose again, I knew something life-changing had happened. A cleansing inside out. No longer did there seem to be two uncertain contradictory Paul Harvey’s - just one immensely happy one.
“Afterward, I cried like a baby, a kind of release, I suppose. The evolving joy has been escalating. The change this simple act has made in my life is so immense as to be indescribable. Since totally yielding to Christ through baptism, my heart can’t stop singing. I’ve shaken off a lifelong habit of fretting over small things...”
It sounds to me like Paul Harvey found a “stress buster” in fearing the Lord and honoring Him in Christian baptism.
Could that be what we all need in order to overcome stress in our lives? Do we need to fear Him more? Honor Him more? Yes. Love for the Lord is the greatest stress reliever there is!
