Tuesday, November 22, 2011

how you respond

I recently visited my counselor.  Yes.  I have a counselor.  Being a pastor will drive you crazy  if you aren't careful.

We were talking about things that cause anxiety and stress.  Yes, I had a couple of stories for him.  His response was brilliant.  "How you choose to respond to that event will say a lot about whether your anxiety level goes up or down regarding the situation."

So there are ways that we often respond that actually increase our anxiety.  When we act defensively, when we hurt back, when we react, we are simply behaving in ways that make things worse.

Do you, do I want my anxiety to go down?  What would Jesus do?  How would he handle the thing?  Ah, turn the other cheek.  I feel better already.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Jeff, how wise you are to engage a counselor. I don't think most people know how very tough being in the ministry can be, albeit also rewarding.

Your comments this morning have reminded me that my mother was also brilliant, when she used to tell me about dealing with stress. She'd say "stick and stones can break my bones, but names can never harm me."

And I guess it's o.k if we give you a list of questions to send along with you to the counselor, for us, since you're paying (ha.)