Optimistic Journey » Stress Relief

Too Blessed to be Stressed

Jarrod Clark — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:46:41 +0000

Day in and day out, we all face unexpected opposition. The little things stress us out. If things don’t go our way, it stresses us out. If someone says the wrong thing to us, that gets the best of us. If someone cuts us off in traffic, we’re on edge. And it’s easy to look at the curses instead of the blessings. It’s easy to focus on what went wrong instead of what went right.

Maybe you didn’t get the grade that you thought you should’ve got on that school project. Maybe that business presentation didn’t go the way you expected it to go. Someone may have done all the wrong things to push your buttons. You might have given it all you had, you held up your end of the bargain, but that relationship still didn’t work out.

In the interim, it’s easy to get bitter. You may be tempted to get sour on life, but know that all these things are really blessings in disguise. God sends setbacks, disappointments, and challenges to make you stronger.

Don’t let the bitter waters of life steal your joy, enthusiasm and peace. Don’t stress over the bad hand that you’ve been dealt. No, you’re too blessed to be stressed. You’re not at a loss. No, shake off the defeat and the stress.

I think of an athlete. When they’re in the game they understand this one principal. They realize that the best defense is a good offense. In other words, they know that they’re success rests on destroying the enemy’s ability to attack.

When the unexpected happens in the course of your day, the best you can do is make a choice to not let it affect you. Just like the athlete, put up a good offense. Realize that you’re to blessed to be stressed.

If an enemy comes in an attempt to destroy your God-given destiny, put on your best offense. Stand strong against the attack. If someone cuts in front of you in traffic, put up a good offense. Don’t let it affect you. If you get a bad break, look at it as a blessing in disguise.

Remember, God is in the blessing business. Everything that happens, the good, the bad and the ugly, work out for your greater good. God can take those upsets, losses and bad breaks and turn the tides in your favor. He can turn those disappointments into divine appointments.

Keep pressing forward, you’re too blessed to be stressed. God has crowned you with blessings, honor, and favor. All the setbacks that you faced will be the setup for your season of celebration.

If a door closes in your face, don’t stress, that means you’re growing closer to your God-given destiny. If that relationship didn’t workout, don’t stress, that simply means you’re closer to your divine connections. If you’ve failed along the way, don’t stress, it’s only a matter of time before you come into success.

Get your joy back. Get your enthusiasm back. Dig your heels in and stand strong. Know that for every bad break there is a better break up ahead. Know that God is working behind the scenes, and in due time He will shower down abundant blessings for you as you charge forth on your journey of life!

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December 26, 2011 -- Look for the Showers of Blessings! (0)
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You’re Free from all Trouble!

Jarrod Clark — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 02:51:58 +0000

It’s not God’s will for us to live a life of bondage. Too often, we go around allowing the troubles of life to get the best of us.

The sad thing is that it’s the little things that often oppress us. If a wrongdoer makes a negative comment to us, we allow that to fester in our minds. If someone does us wrong, instead of forgiving them, we allow that wrong to create a stronghold in our minds.

When we do this, we become captive to these wrongful acts. But remember, it’s outside of God’s will that we become enslaved to the negative attacks of the enemy.

You see, Satan came to kill, steal, and destroy. But Jesus came to destroy the works of enemy. In John 10:10, Jesus says “I’ve come that you may have life, and have it more abundantly.”

This life, that Jesus speaks of, is a life full of freedom and peace. He doesn’t want you to be enslaved to your past mistakes. He doesn’t want you to be held captive to the everyday stress, frustrations, and accusations of the enemy. He wants you to live a life full of peace, wholeness, joy, and freedom.

John 8:36 says, “whom the son (Jesus) has set free, is truly free indeed.” Remember, Jesus was taken captive and chastised so that you and I can be free. You’re free from the turmoil. You’re free from the pain. Maybe someone has told you time and time again that you’ll never be successful. Maybe you’ve been told that you don’t have what it takes.

I dare you to speak God’s word over the voice of the naysayers. Make a John 8:36 declaration over your life and situation, and watch as the spiritual chains of bondage become broken as you charge forth on your journey of life!

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Photo credit: by *Melody*

August 11, 2010 -- You Can Be Free! (2)
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Personal Tune-Ups Are Critical

Jarrod Clark — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:14:58 +0000

When living the Christian life, it’s easy to focus all our time, effort, and attention on other people around us. Although these are great traits to have, we often end up neglecting ourselves.

There are times when we’ll have to perform self-assessments. We’ll have to do a run-down checklist on ourselves and make sure everything is in proper working condition. We have to see to it that we’re performing at our maximum capabilities.

Just like a car needs a tune-up every so often, we need a spiritual tune-up as well. If we neglect to do this, we’ll run the risk of having our car put us down.

The same applies for our spirit man. Sometimes we grow tired of doing the things that we used to do: such as having a good prayer life or meditating on the Word of God. We may not get the right amount of sleep or exercise. We may not be eating the right foods. We even have a tendency to work extra long hours and run ourselves into the ground.

I think about the light that comes on inside the dashboard of the car. It can be a check engine light, a check oil light or a low tire pressure indicator. These are the car’s way of letting us know that a tune-up needs to be performed. Well, the same works with our bodies.

We think that stress is a bad thing. But stress is just an indicator given to us by God to let us know that we need a tune-up. A self assessment needs to be done.

When you find yourself stressed out , take out some time and perform a self assessment. It could be that your priorities are out of order. It could be that you’re overworking yourself. Or it could be that you’re neglecting to do the important things that you used to do.

When stress comes knocking at the door, instead of getting agitated, use that as an indicator that a personal tune-up needs to be performed. Seek God for guidance and He’ll show you what assessments need to be done. If you’ll put God first, He’ll get you back to performing at your maximum capacity. As a result, this will cause you to sore to another level as you charge forth on your journey of life!

Photo credit: by bradleyolin

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The Last Straw Won’t Get You

Jarrod Clark — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 03:40:34 +0000

We’ve all got a threshold of what we’re willing to take in life. We’ve got that line drawn in the sand of how far we’re able to go before we break.

The world has even coined a familiar saying: “The straw that broke the camel’s back.” In other words, you’re on your last leg. The burden is piling up on your back. And we’ll say things like “If one more person does this…” or “if this happens one more time…” and we usually follow it up with a consequence or a plan of action.

Well my friend, I’m here to tell you that you’ve got more stamina than you think. I always heard it said, that you can bend but don’t break. No matter what’s coming at you, that deadline, that last minute inconvenience or that obstacle that keeps you from performing your best, God has a second wind in store for you.

Instead of getting all down in the dumps and focusing on the burden, or how much more you can take, focus on 2 Corinthians 12:9. Here Jesus says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in your weakness.”

It’s like that button they give you in the hospital to page the nurse. When you’re on that last stretch, and the enemy is firing doubt, fatigue, unbelief and all sorts of negative thoughts into your mind, all you have to do is hit that button and God comes to your aid. He takes up the slack.

He’s not going to allow you to crumble. He won’t allow the straw to break your back. Instead, He goes to work behind the scenes and gives you a fresh wind. He gives you the ammunition to make it through the next round in your battle.

The other day, I woke up with a slight throat ache. And usually when I wake up with a throat ache, it’s a sign that sickness is coming on. I felt sort of weak and I was so tempted to call into work and let them know I wouldn’t be able to make it. Then I remembered 2 Corinthians 12:9. “His strength is made perfect in my weakness.” And before I knew it, I was up out of bed pushing myself. I wasn’t going to let a little throat ache break me that day. I decided to stretch myself.

Now don’t get me wrong- this is not to say that you should go to work when you’re sick. There will be times when you will need to stay home when you’re sick. But know that an illness isn’t the straw that’s breaking your back. No instead, your confession should be that this illness may cause me to bend, but I won’t break.

For me, it just so happened that the day I woke up with that throat ache wasn’t enough to keep me from functioning. Sure, I felt a little weak, but it wasn’t a big enough straw to break my back.

Here’s the thing- just when we think we can’t, God goes to work behind the scenes, on our behalf, and proves us wrong. Whether you’re sick, stressed out, trying to meet deadlines or fatigued, you may bend but you won’t break.

God is giving you a second wind. He’s removing the burden and giving you strength. If you’ll keep pushing and stay in the race, God will provide you with the strength that you need to press on as you charge forth on your journey of life!

Photo credit: by Graham Binns

December 28, 2011 -- God’s Grace is Sufficient (0)
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Don’t Take Yourself too Seriously

Jarrod Clark — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 03:13:14 +0000

We live in a world today where we hear a lot of doom and gloom. When we turn on the news, we hear a negative story. When talking to a neighbor we get bad news. Or when we visit the doctor we may get a bad report.

And in the interim, it’s easy to lose our sense of self. When trying to process negative information and meet deadlines, it’s easy to take ourselves too seriously.

As a result, we lose our sense of humor. We forget to live in the moment. We overlook the little precious things because we’re so stressed about things in which we have no control.

Don’t allow a negative story to cause you to miss out on the good things in life. Don’t let a bad report force you to neglect the small things that really matter. Instead, take a moment to quote- “enjoy the roses.”

Laugh at a good joke. Enjoy a good show. Go to the park and walk around the track or even swing on the swing.

You see, one thing that we lose as we mature in life is that inner child within us. We get to a point where we lose that innocence. We take on so many cares in life that we forget about the things that truly give us joy.

I was with some friends the other day and one of my friends pulled out some bubbles and started blowing them. At first I remember thinking– ‘seriously, a grown adult blowing bubbles?’ But then I caught myself and thought– ‘wow, this person gets it.’ They are enjoying the moment. Everyone is laughing and having fun. They are not taking themselves too seriously.

So I joined in on the fun and started popping the bubbles like a kid. And before I knew it, I was in on all the fun. I was laughing and forgetting about the cares of the moment.

Now don’t get me wrong. There are times that require a serious focused mentality. Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us of this very well. It says, “there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”

So here’s the key: create a great balance. Learn to laugh and enjoy yourself when the opportunity presents itself. You can’t get those moments back. They come too far and few in between. I can tell you from experience that you’ll have plenty of opportunities to be serious and focused. But don’t take yourself too serious.

Learn to let loose. Enjoy the little things in life. Take a trip to an amusement park with a friend. Go to the beach or to the mountains. God has placed them in our life for a reason. Take advantage of the good and fun times in life. When you do this, you’ll experience more joy and peace as you charge forth on your journey of life!

Photo credit: by Theory

July 10, 2011 -- Make Positive Declarations (0)
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His Peace is Available to You!

Jarrod Clark — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 03:21:40 +0000

Throughout the hustle and bustle of the day, we experience a range of emotions. If things don’t go our way, we’re tempted to react off the emotion that we feel.

But one thing is for sure. When it all bores down to it, we’re all looking for something to relieve negative emotions. We’re looking for a fix or a safe place of peace and tranquility.

Sometimes you can look all around you, looking for a place of tranquility. You can look to the left or to the right looking for answers to your problems. But if you look up to God, the Father, and seek His peace, you’ll find that it’s readily available to you. In John 14:27, Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.”

Know that, no matter what you’re going through, peace is at hand. Your mind can be running a million miles per hour. You’re trying to meet deadlines and worrying about how to connect point A to point B. But be encouraged, peace is within reach.

When you experience emotions such as fear, anger, impatience or frustration, instead of giving into these emotions, make a choice and choose peace. I’m not saying that you won’t feel the emotions. I’m not saying that it’s easy to just “choose peace” and be done with it. In fact, it will be rather difficult. But you do have a choice to either give into the emotion, or choose peace.

I once heard a wise person say, “everytime you give into a temptation, you’re feeding that temptation.” For instance, if you’re tempted to get impatient and you choose to give into it, you’re feeding impatience. If you’re tempted to get angry and you give into it, you’re feeding anger. But if you feel negative emotions and you choose peace, it’s like a muscle, you’re strengthening and feeding peace.

Philippians 4:7-8 tells us to worry and be anxious about nothing but to pray for everything. Then the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding shall guard you heart and mind through Christ Jesus.

So next time things aren’t going your way and you’re experiencing negative emotions. Simply pray to the Lord. Ask Him for peace and tranquility. Ask Him to ease the burden.

Choose peace, and meditate on John 14:27 and Philippians 4:8. As you do this you will, indeed, experience the peace that surpasses all understanding as you charge forth on your journey of life!

Photo credit: by SiSter PhotograPher

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The Greatest Stress Reliever

Jarrod Clark — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 04:01:41 +0000

Often times we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the day. In the interim, we find ourselves looking for that place of refuge, or that safe place.

We’re living in a day where most of the population is stressed out about something. In fact, I heard an alarming statistic that 90% of doctor visits are stress related. And nine times out of ten, the doctor will simply put you on medication to numb the pain. But the truth is that this prescribed medication will only tie you over for the moment.

But isn’t it amazing to know that we serve a God who is the ultimate stress reliever? He reminds us in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that His grace is sufficient for us, His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

The psalmist said “in my distress I cried out to the Lord and He heard me.” You can go to a friend, or a relative or a neighbor and cry out to them, but when it all comes down to it, none can be as comforting or as stress relieving as the Lord God almighty.

The Lord doesn’t do like the doctors do. He doesn’t simply give you a pill to take to numb or hide the pain. No, He reassures you that He is all the medicine you need. In God alone will you find peace. He is the sustainer, He is the one who will be your safe place. The scripture says God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

If you’ll just stay in an attitude of prayer and keep an open line of communication with the creator of the universe, He’ll see to it that you find rest and peace. In fact, we’re reminded that we can go to Him and He will give us rest. He comforts us in letting us know that His yoke is easy!

My friend, know today that there is no problem too big that our God can not handle. In fact, right before His death, He assured us that He’s leaving His peace with us. The scripture says that the peace that surpasses all understanding shall guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus.

Take out time today and take your medicine, which is prayer and supplication with Christ Jesus. In doing so you will experience a life of rest and peace as you charge forth on your journey of life!

Photo credit: by Keith Williamson

February 2, 2012 -- 10 Ways to Have a Complete Joy-filled Day! (2)
December 18, 2011 -- Experience God’s Peace During the Christmas Season (0)
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Enjoy The Journey Along The Way

Jarrod Clark — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 22:03:38 +0000

Too often we say to ourselves, “if i can just get this in order then I’ll be alright” or “if I can just get to this point in my life, or get through this semester in school, life will be better.” Does this sound familiar?

Well, I don’t think that God’s plan for our life is that we go through life stressing over everything. I believe that His ultimate will for your life is for you to live a joy-filled, peaceful life full of happiness, and wholeness!

The truth is that if you keep looking to the future for things to get better then you’ll never live a stress-free life. The enemy will always be planting more attacks in your life that will constantly cause stress and anguish.

John 10:10 says, “The thief (the enemy) cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I (Jesus) am come that they (you and I) might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly.”

In actuality, you should learn to enjoy the present moment in every area of your life. If your job is stressing you out or that class is overwhelming you, then you should look to God as a source of peace in your life.

I believe that one way to enjoy the journey along the way is to make positive declarations. In other words instead saying, “once I get that new house then life will be better,” say “I’m going to appreciate all that I have and be thankful for it. Things can always be worse.” Your declaration should be that, such as the scripture says in Matthew 25:23 “I’m going to be faithful over a few things so that the Lord can make me ruler over many.”

I believe that life will be so much more rewarding and fulfilling if you learn to appreciate the small things. You should learn to appreciate the good times as well as the bad. When things aren’t looking up, let that be an opportunity to exercise your faith! Don’t wallow in despair, make a better decision to live your life in the victory that God has for you as you charge forth on your journey of life!

Photo credit: by д§mд

December 18, 2011 -- Experience God’s Peace During the Christmas Season (0)
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There Is Rest In Jesus

Jarrod Clark — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 01:31:53 +0000

Stress is like our body’s way of telling us that we need rest. Throughout the hustle and bustle of the day, we find ourselves looking for ways to wind down.

Some people seek bigger ways to quote on quote “get away.” They look toward vacations as a get away. They look for weekend retreats that provide a sense of peace and tranquility.

Others can settle for smaller ways to wind down. Depending on how much rest and relaxation they’re in need of, they can simply settle for an extra day off – or maybe a few extra hours of sleep. In the end we find ourselves more than willing to spend extra cash to vacation when rest is at our finger tips.

Matthew 11:28, Jesus says “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”

My friend the good news is that you can find rest in Jesus. You see, He’s just a conversation away. You don’t have to pick up the phone and dial out. You don’t have to take a drive down to the beach or across country. You don’t have to fork up that extra vacation cash just to enjoy His service. No, He’s waiting to hear your call.

That means when you leave that stressful job to go to that second stressful job, Jesus is there to provide rest. When you have that long day of classes or errands to run and you don’t feel able, Jesus is there to provide the strength and agility you need.

I’m not suggesting that you cut out vacation time and taking trips across country. No, but understand that in between vacation time when you’re all washed up, know that you can find rest in Jesus. Make a decision today to make Christ a priority in your life as you charge forth on your journey of life!

Photo credit: how will i ever

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3 Ways to Combat Stress

Jarrod Clark — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 01:00:05 +0000

Throughout the hustle and bustle of the day we find stress to be a very common factor. We find ourselves running around trying to meet deadlines and trying to fulfill all the tasks and details that require our time and attention. If we don’t watch it, we can get used to the tension that builds up as a result of our tedious daily tasks.

Understand that in-spite of all that is going on around you, you don’t have to suffer the stress and anxiety that results from all of your daily ventures. Here I’ve compiled three things that you can do to combat stress.

1. Take time out for yourself – Sometimes you have to sacrifice other tasks and take time out to regroup. Some may say that it’s selfish to put yourself first but if you don’t take time out for yourself, who will? Everything in life has to be done within moderation.

The scripture says that there is a time for everything. There is a time to born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to uproot… You see, when you’re running all day everyday, you’re not providing that balance that you need to recover and regroup.

2. Pray and Meditate - One of the best things you can do, when taking time out for yourself, is to pray and meditate. Praying is simply having a conversation with God. In doing so, you’re opening yourself up to His guidance. Praying is one of the best thing you can do to establish peace in your life.

3. Exercise – I talk often about the neuro-transmitters called endorphins that your brain releases when exercising. These endorphins are natural pain-killers that our bodies release when doing strenuous exercises. They are responsible for making us feel good and releasing stress. Therefore experts recommend exercising as a resort to combat stress.

Taking a morning run before the long day ahead is a great time for getting away. It allows you to take time out with yourself and your thoughts. It’s a great way to prepare for the day. As a result of the strenuous exercise, you’re releasing any un-needed stress that you may have built up.

Make a choice today to add yourself to the equation and watch your stress level become more and more a thing of the past!

Photo credit: Kamoteus (I Shall Return / Voltarei)

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