Worship explodes stress

When life is all about me, I am stressed. Do enough people like me, do they treat me well enough, are my life goals coming to pass. There is a lot to worry about, and a lot to be afraid of.

Is the economy going to fall apart, is our next president the one we deserve, have I prayed enough, read my Bible enough, witnessed enough, or cared enough about my neighbor. Some stress take a religious tone.

Do I have enough in my bank account, is my future taken care of, could my worries come true? Is my health good enough?

Okay, you get the picture.

But, the challenge for me is, to get my mind and thoughts off the possibilities and fears of what could go wrong, and get a bigger perspective. Like when you are looking out of an airplane window at 15,000 feet and see the highways full of scurrying cars, and the streets of the town bustling with people. Where are all those over stressed people going? And why? And can life be that important that everyone of them is so stressed about getting there so fast?

That 15,000 foot perspective changes everything when you sort of watch the panorama, rather than living out of your own two eyes only.

There are a couple of other ways to change perspective as well. A man told me recently that he had inherited $93,000 from his parents will. He called home to tell his wife as soon as he heard the news that they were now in a much better position financially. When his wife heard his voice on the phone, she started crying hysterically about a huge new bill for $631 that has come in the mail that day, and that they were hopelessly sinking in debt.

He couldn't get a word in edge wise, so he simply had to let her cry out her frustrations. When her sobbing finally subsided enough, he told her the news.

His perspective was different because he knew stuff that she did not know! That little information changed everything. $631 meant nothing in the light of the other information- $93,000!

Worship is like that. Everything changes when you get the rest of the story, and focus on the right facts. That God is in control, that He has plenty of money, health, happiness, and good days, for you.

This weekend, we start The Power of Worship. God help us

(make that ME)

really deeply, get it.