Surviving the Holidays part 1

Well today is December 1st. I guess the holidays are officially here. This can be a very stressful time of the year if we are not careful. So, over the next couple of weeks, I want to talk a little about surviving the holidays.

Let's start this week by talking about stress.

Stress is a big part of our daily lives. We all face it. There is relational stress, financial stress, stress caused by the demands on our time. This is a stressed out world.

Stress can be magnified during the holiday season. All the extra holiday expenses, as well as the extra activies, and then there are the family issues.

How do we surivive the stress that life brings our way. This week let's take a look at several principles that Jesus used for dealing with stress.

The first principle is the principle of identification.

If you want to learn to deal with stress it starts by simply knowing who you are. Jesus had this principle down. He knew exactly who he was. "He said I am the light of the world, I am the way the truth and the light. I am the bread of life, I am the vine..." Jesus had settled the issue of identity. He was completely secure in who he was.

Hears the deal. If we don't settle the issue of identity, we will have a load of stress. If we don't know who we are, then others will try to squeeze us into their mold. All of that squeesing can sure cause alot of pressure and stress.

Before you can even begin to deal with stress you have to settle the issue. Who am I? What has God called me to do? Not who do others want me to be and what are others trying to get me to do?

Jesus said it like this in John 5:30 (NCV) "I don't try to please myself, but I try to please the one who sent me."

Paul said it like this in Galations 1:10 "Am I trying to win the approval of men of of God?...If I were trying to please men, then I would not be a servant of Christ."

Tomorrow we will talk about the principle of prioritization.