Dear friends,
Last week I wrote that I was having some pain in my left leg and yesterday I went to my family doctor to have it checked. I was relieved to hear his diagnosis of it being a pulled muscle and a few hours later, I was very glad to hear that a lady in eastern Quebec has been praying for me and Karen. After asking people to pray for Carol (in Mexico) and Sandy (in France) who were scheduled to have operations last week, we received word that the surgeries went well.
This week I have been reading an excellent book entitled “You Can Profit From Stress” by Dr. Gary Collins. It was written forty years ago and contains many timeless truths from God’s Word and helpful, practical advice. Although the year is less than a month old, there have already been many things come our way to challenge us physically, emotionally and relationally.
Driving home from the clinic where I saw my doctor, I was listening to the radio and heard about a woman who fell down some stairs outside in the icy conditions earlier this week. She posted on social media that she lost her pinky finger in the accident, adding “but things could have been a lot worse.” What a positive attitude in the midst of a difficult situation!
Dr. Collins includes the following in a chapter dealing with reducing stress:
“Choose your friends wisely. Remember that you become like the people with whom you associate.
Don’t let things drift. Procrastination and indecision only delay your misery.
Do something for others. It’s difficult to worry about yourself when you are helping others.
Talk things over. A friend, relative, pastor or professional counselor can often help you see things that are unclear otherwise.”
This month, Pastor Michel Martel is giving a series of messages about prayer in the weekly radio broadcasts of “La Voix de l’Évangile.” How wonderful it is to know that the Holy Spirit lives in each believer, helping us to pray and comforting us in the midst of life’s pressures.
Scripture for the weekend: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NASB)
Thought for the weekend: “The church today, as always, must be Christ-centered and built on the Scriptures. But it must also be people-directed, set on the task of supporting, encouraging and training stress-prone believers so they can reach out to a stress-saturated world with the liberating good news of Jesus Christ.” – Dr. Gary Collins (from his book “You Can Profit From Stress”)
By His grace,
Steve