I started taking classes online almost a year ago. And, despite how I feel about it at this moment, it really is a great system. I keep telling myself this as a motivator.
But it seems like the longer I go, the harder it is for me to keep up with it. In the last year, since starting these classes, life has changed a lot. We made a HUGE move; a 750 mile move to be exact. We lost our best pal, our dog, Blue. We also got a puppy, Nash, and I started a new job recently. (Work stress is right at the top of the list for me.)
All of that stuff on its own is pretty minor, especially when it’s all spread out over 9 months. But it just seems like I can’t really get into a good routine and when I do, something else changes and pushes me back.
On top of all of that, and here’s a bit of raw, honesty for you: I’m really struggling to find purpose and feel fulfilled in our current life-situation. Someone asked how it was being back in a city that we once lived before and I explained it like this: There are good days and there are bad days. And, if I’m being really honest, sometimes, the bad outweighs the good.
6 out of 7 days a week, I feel an immense amount of pressure. And I know that 98% of this pressure is probably self-induced.
Pressure to say and do all the right things at the exact, right time… Pressure to make sure the bills are paid without going over… Pressure to make sure the refrigerator and pantry are stocked with the right things… Pressure to make sure the puppy gets adequate playtime, exercise, food, water, sleep, not too much food, and not too much exercise… Pressure to figure out all of life’s secrets before the rest of the world does… Why? You ask… I don’t have the slightest idea.
Pressure… Pressure to not let the people I work with down… Pressure to not let my friends down… Pressure to show up to church when I just want to sleep… Pressure to write those papers that my instructor needs so I don’t fail the class… Pressure to write here, at HopeFor.Today… Pressure to love my husband with the love that he deserves…
There is pressure all around us, and even though it might not all look and feel the same from me to you, the question I want to ask today is what do you do with it?
What do you do when you feel so overwhelmed to get it right, or make something happen, or to ensure that someone isn’t disappointed?
What’s the answer to being under pressure?
Here’s the thing about pressure. While pressure can sometimes do some damage to you, make you feel like you’re going to be crushed; NOT ALL pressure is bad. Sometimes, the right amount of pressure will show you more about who you are, who you need to be, and the best one—who Jesus is in your life.
Look at what James says about pressure:
“You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it.”
James 1:3-5 MSG
WOW! James says that under pressure, our faith is forced into the open and shows its true colors. In other words, when we’re under pressure, our faith has the biggest opportunity to shine. We might also say it like this:
It could be under the biggest weight, that the Holy Spirit shows up to develop us.
And James gives this challenge: to let the pressure work! I don’t know about you, but when I feel pressure, the last thing I want to do is sit in it. I want to get out from underneath it as quickly as possible. But James says that we should let it work SO THAT we become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. Someone better shout about this one!
Check this out. Essentially what James is saying is this: When we feel the weight crushing us, it’s in those moments that our faith is developed! AND if we let the pressure work, then the Holy Spirit will work through that pressure to develop us and mature us so that we are not deficient or lacking what we need to handle the pressure the next time.
So, I want to try and answer the question at the top of this: What do we do with the pressure?
I want to give you two tips that have helped me handle pressure:
- Address the pressure.
What is creating pressure in my life? Is there something in my life that needs adjusting or that I need to change?
Because sometimes the pressure that we feel is due to disobedience on our part, or a lack of discipline in our own lives. Maybe we’ve taken on too much and legitimately cannot handle the workload. God’s Word tells us that we should count the cost before starting a project and I think a lot of us sometimes fail to count the cost. As a result, we overwork ourselves unnecessarily because we failed to think things through on the front end.
Sometimes the pressure we are under is a direct result of our irresponsibility. This is probably 75% of the pressure that I deal with.
So, we have to be willing to address the pressure, especially in an effort to prevent pressure in the future. How much of this is my fault and how much of it is just circumstantial?
- Be prepared to either tackle the pressure or to wait it out.
James urges people not to give up prematurely. Sometimes knowing what to do, and discerning which way you need to handle a situation, can be very challenging. But knowing the difference between handling the pressure and waiting it out might just be the difference between overcoming what weighs you down and being habitually under pressure.
Something happens when the weight of the world hits you. You can respond in one of two ways: you can be overcome by the weight, or you can overcome the weight by the Word.
I believe that walking in the truth, being grounded in the Word of God, is the very thing that helps us discern whether or not we should sit just a bit longer under that pressure and let it correct something in us, or show us how we need to correct some of those pressures as we navigate getting out from under that pressure.
If you look back to what we read in James, another translation says it like this:
“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.”
James 1:5 NLT
When you’re overwhelmed and you feel the weight of the pressure, take a moment to pray.
I do this a lot. This is good for a few reasons; it deflects my emotions and takes the pressure off of me to try and figure it all out. Praying also helps me acknowledge that God is bigger than me, my problems, worries, etc., AND that I need help. But additionally, praying helps me recognize what is right. What am I doing that is adding to the pressure, or what can I change to remove some pressure?
When I don’t know if I should tackle the pressure or just wait in the presence of God for a bit, praying helps clear my mind on the issue.
So today, I need you to know that it’s going to be okay. The sun will set tonight and, God-willing, it will rise again tomorrow, and with it enough troubles all on its own. And remember the reality of it is that it’s not as bad as it feels right now. I hope you know that you are loved. Regardless of your mistakes, or what your past says about you. You are loved. Don’t let the weight of the world, the pressure that is cooking around you, overpower you. You have so much to live for and so much hope to bring to the world around you.
Today, whether you’re feeling the weight of the world or you’re resting in the peace of God, I pray that you would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the God who created everything else around you, hung all the stars in the sky, has you perfectly resting in the palm of His hand. He isn’t too far away from you. You should know that God isn’t preoccupied with others’ problems. He has you! Look up, because the weight is shedding off your shoulders right now. It’ll be easier to stand momentarily. And today, I pray that you not only find hope to fight another day, but that the Lord brings someone through your path who needs to know the weight of the world doesn’t have to hold them down either.
There’s hope today.