This jet called “2024” is coming in for a landing, and BOY has it has been a bumpy flight! The turbulence of an election season often leaves us feeling grieved, stressed, perplexed, and trapped in a cycle of despair. The incessant negativity of campaign ads, the doomsday reports of impending disaster if “so and so” gets elected, it’s all too much! And while it may be over, rest assured it took its toll. And just as we pause to catch our breath… BOOM – the holidays are here, which is often the most stressful time of year. How can we ensure that stress isn’t devouring our lives and thwarting God’s richest blessings?
Someone asked long-time pastor and author Rick Warren (Purpose Driven Life) how he stayed strong and faithful through over 40 years of pastoral ministry. His answer was a simple yet astounding formula that can be applied to any and every life to ensure we aren’t letting stress win the day. I call them the “Big 3.” Divert daily, withdrawal weekly, abandon annually.
Divert daily: This simply means to find habits that contrast in style and substance from your daily work. Put it this way – if you work with your hands all day in routine and habitual manual labor, challenge yourself with a mental exercise that requires you to THINK. Stimulate your brain with something different. If you work with your brain all day, solving complex problems and thinking deeply about issues of importance, take up a habit that requires you to move physically every day. Do something opposite of your routine and divert your attention. I spend most of my days solving problems, writing preaching and teaching material, and helping people carry burdens. This is BRAIN WORK. Because of this, I need physical activity to balance my life. So, I’ve incorporated long walks, and WOW, do I feel renewed and refreshed every day!
Withdrawal weekly: Studies have shown that our 7th Day Adventist friends are among the longest-living and healthiest religious groups on the earth. This Christian group observes a sabbath rest every single week beginning on Fridays at sunset and ending on Saturdays at sunset. During this time, they truly SABBATH. (“Shabbat,” which means to rest) and completely cease from their labors. By doing so, they rejuvenate and hit the reset button on their overall health. You may be thinking, “There’s no way I can do that!” But, by taking time to completely withdrawal from work every single week and resting, you are replenishing the incredibly vital chemicals in your brain and body that you NEED in order to thrive in life. Making this change may be difficult, but it’s worth it! We can either rest now by choice or be forced to rest later by the mandate of our failing health.
Abandon annually: While expensive, elaborate vacations may not be feasible for you, it is vitally important you take time off every year to recoup your energy and breath. Studies have shown that people who vacation (even if it’s a staycation) have lower stress levels. Stress is one of if not THE leading causes of heart disease and many other types of illnesses. Lowering stress is a primary key to health and wellness. A study from 2018 showed that more than half of Americans give up their time off which amounts to roughly 768 million days of vacation time forfeited or lost. There is a direct link between lack of time off and elevated stress levels, and then a direct link between elevated stress levels and disease, depression, and burnout. If you have it, take it. If you don’t have it, work to acquire it. Time off is critical to your longevity and health.
We don’t know what tomorrow holds. 2025 may be riddled with as much turbulence and unexpected circumstances as 2024. We may have to face incredibly difficult times and stressful seasons. But, by implementing the time-tested principles I shared with you, you can, at the very least, control what you can control, and leave the rest in the hands of someone greater.
As a pastor, I would be remiss if I didn’t share with you that I believe, with every fiber of my being, that God wants you to thrive in this life. Jesus said, “I have come to give you life and life more abundantly” (John 10:10). This abundant life is available by resting in God’s finished work on the cross for you and knowing that nothing can separate you from His love. The unconditional surrender of the human heart to God, by faith in Jesus, is the doorway to a life that’s infused with the riches of God’s blessing. Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” So, today, as you examine your physical and emotional health, don’t neglect your spiritual health either. The baby in the manger became the man on the cross in order to become the king on the throne of your heart. If he’s not your Savior, Lord, and King, make the decision today to trust Him, and put your life in His hands. Then, allow His grace to empower you to walk and live in the “Big 3” I talked about above.
May God bestow his richest blessings on you and your family in the days ahead. You are loved more than you will ever know!
-by Pastor Jacob Holmes
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