How Stress Left Me Blessed

Too Blessed To Be Stressed

Have you ever heard the saying, “Too blessed to be stressed?”  It’s a “pinteresting” thing to say. I believe when we are blessed we should look for an opportunity to help someone decompress from their stress. One of the ways we shared our blessings was through adoption. In 2011, my husband and I embarked upon an adoption journey of 3 little boys ages 1, 2 and 3. We already had 3 biological children ages 8, 10 and 12. Our biologicals, up until that point, were easy peezy lemon squeezy; and our adopted babies were rough, rugged, and raw. Daily, I felt like I was waking up in a war zone. Life quickly became so fragmented that stress was a catalyst for me becoming whole.

It Hurt So Good

The collision of everyone’s personalities darkened our once radiant world. Through the power of hindsight, “it hurt so good.”God sent our boys to turn our world right side up. If I were writing this blog in 2011, I would’ve told you that daily my goal was to not be the Mama on the news. I was in a fragile state, I wasn’t sleeping or eating properly, I couldn’t think clearly and my emotional exhaustion turned into physical exasperation. The phrase “what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger” holds true if you learn to recover from what was trying to kill you. What doesn’t kill you can diminish your quality of life and can eventually lead to death. Stress is a silent killer that has made an attempt to take me out. However, if stress didn’t threaten my health, sanity, and existence; I would not have reached my current state of physical fitness, soundness of mind, and abundant living. Stress was a blessing in disguise!

 

Your Secret Source of Strength

Is your life full of things that would cause someone else to cringe? Having clear vision concerning what God has called you to do can prevent you from internalizing someone elses anxieties.When we first adopted our boys I asked God to send people into my life who would see them as a mission field and not a battlefield. Mission field folks said things like, “God called us to partner with your family during this journey.” Battlefield people projected their doubts, fears, and worries onto us. Don’t allow someone elses perception of your life stress you out. If the things you do bring you joy then they have a built-in element of strength that empowers you. Do not let someone elses fear rob you of what fuels you. The secret source to your super power might be someone elses kryptonite.

Too B.U.S.Y. Stressing to be a Blessing

Why busy yourself telling someone what you do, or why you do it, when you can be getting those things done? Busy can be the enemy of effectiveness. Prior to our adoption we were busy doing lots of good things. I had to quickly identify the difference between good things and God things. I once read an acronym for the word “busy,” (Being Under Satan’s Yoke). No one wants to be under Satan’s yoke. God’s yoke is easy and His burden is light. Stress sent me into energy saving mode. I took a 9 month break from social media, stepped down from ministry, and joined an adoption support group. For a second it felt like I was committing social suicide. However, laying down life as I knew it took our family from a state of being overwhelmed to overjoyed.

Contentment

Years ago I read a book called Cultivating Contentment, the book’s message was “don’t compare, don’t compete, and don’t complain.” Just do you, and know that by doing you, you are encouraging others to be the best version of themselves they can be. “Comparison is the thief of all joy.” When we choose not to compare, our lives complement one another beautifully. When we refuse to compete, we place ourselves in a position to collaborate. When we resist complaining, God receives glory out of our good works, and we draw people unto Him. I’m honored that God chose us to be the forever family for our boys. We set out to raise them, yet he has used them to cultivate growth in areas that we didn’t know were undeveloped.

And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. Genesis 12:2

Boundaries

Once our boys entered our world it changed the dynamic of our lives in so many ways. One of which was the way we managed our time, and who we chose to do life with. When you are blessed you don’t always recognize the relationships, and situations that drain you. But when you are stressed, you can quickly identify the little foxes that spoil the vine. Stress can be a conduit to give you the urgency to guard your heart, implement self-care and set boundaries that should have been in place all along.

From Stressed to Blessed

Are you currently stressed? Do you want to be blessed? If your answer is YES; refuse to compete, resist the urge to compare, and don’t complain. Give yourself permission to create. And before you know it, stress could leave you blessed.

Identify a time in your life when you had to eliminate sources of stress to accomplish a greater goal?