How do we de-pressure life? A wildly large topic to just leap off the bridge into the icy waters with, I know, but it is one I have been chewing on for some time. It’s a Wednesday night after Survivor and my wife and I will catch the show called Seal before we fade out (wrote a few years ago). It brings me to the point early on here, both shows revolve around pressure in and of themselves. Survivor is the ultimate social pressure game and being special ops military is as we know ‘life altering pressure’. It is plain to me that we all have gifted to us a different level of capabilities in handling pressure naturally. I don’t know about most of you, but this guy already knows if he took his wife on Amazing Race our episode ends with us driving off the cliff after making a tragic wrong turn Thelma and Louise style!!!
If you’ve ever read a single thing I’ve shared, you can probably guess what the other side of the coin is: supernatural! What then is the complex make up of supernatural pressure? I shared in one of the R.W.B. Pearls once about our pressures related to the function of a water heater. The water flows in, it is heated in a tank built for pressurization, and flows on to source out hot water. The main thing you will notice on a standard water heater is the Pressure Relief Valve (I think some call it a T&P also). The pressure from within builds up and basically needs an outlet so the tank doesn’t explode or whatever it would do in failure. The pressure hits a point where it pushes the valve open, but only when that pressure is released.
Our life is similar to that water heater. We are just good ol’ cold water flowin’ chill like the underside of the pillow. We would love to say in this cool state without putting so much hot pressure on us to keep up with all the pressures of life. There are a myriad of pressures: our problems, others problems, our work, our dreams, our attempts to help others, and hello…relationships in general!! The good news is I have found something that has helped me no matter the pressure. There are times I am just wide awake at 2 or 3 in the morning. I can feel when there is pressure going on and what I need to do. I have learned that Jesus wants to take these pressures from me because He has a pressure-less tank! I am able to tell Him my problems, issues, and He gives me peace. Who doesn’t want peace?
This isn’t by any means an easy process! Words cannot describe all I feel at times. There are days I just have to wrestle it out a lot…but if I don’t learn to do that, the pressure just increases. We can all think of someone we know that shows signs of the pressure affecting their lives significantly. If you’ve ever met someone who has faced some serious battles in their lives, how they dealt with (or didn’t) the pressure shaped their path going forward. It all comes to a tipping point: what is your foundation of life set upon? For me personally, I can only see Jesus helping me…I simply can’t see anything else. There are days it takes some time to sort things out, but in that process I learn trust and it leads to peace. I do believe anyone can have the same peace. It doesn’t make thing perfect and off the chain, but it will de-pressurize a lot of the weight you carry.
I do invite you to share what helps you. It’s ok if it’s a little different or you don’t understand Jesus at all (many do not). I know there have been a lot of poor reps for Jesus out there, but I also know Truth is not relative!
Part 2:
How do we process the mental pressures of daily life? There is so much just flying at us daily! Do we even realize the sheer amount of compartmentalizing we do mentally on a daily basis? We have all met people who struggle to accurately deal with it…I mean you can tell they have a broken processor! I don’t want to have too many A.D.D. moments here, I will leave the counseling topics to the man who counseled me through some dark places (he can explain these far better than I). These are questions that make me marvel about myself and other people too. I think our Dr. friends will tell you some things work and some do not!
This isn’t easy processing, so forgive me if things fly out clunky and a little funky. Where I feel pressures the most is in unresolved situations or the anticipation of ‘what might happen’. It begins to fill and clutter my thought process with worry, concerns, and angst. One can feel stuck or feel the need to find results to a problem or situation. How do I not get bogged down in the malaise of it all until things get resolved or end? When do I apply effort and when do I just breathe out?
Self-evaluation can be a prison or the key to the lock of it. What measure we apply to ourselves affects more than the moment. I want to use a word that is both spiritual and everyday useful. This word has broad meanings and variations, but all that said it is simply grace. Healthy grace will grant me the space to function toward myself and others. Is there anyone who grates on you more than someone who holds a ridiculous standard over you that they truly don’t apply in their own lives? I have found that grace will bring more light to a situation than tight control. How can you extend grace when you don’t allow someone space to live in the first place? I further apply that to my approach to my own processing. Some people have beaten themselves up so much, they can’t receive grace from anyone else!
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