Maybe it's just my personality, but I live there all the time. And what I've realized over the years is that stress management techniques do work. To a point. My life is better when I make detailed to-do lists, break large projects into smaller steps, and align my available time with the priority of my tasks.
But this morning I was reminded that stress management-at its core-is about controlling my environment. Reading my Bible this morning and walking around the church campus to pray did not help me accomplish anything, nor did it make "smart" sense of my available time. And yet as I spent time with God, I was gradually awakened to the awareness that while many parts of my life are indeed out of my control, they never occur outside the watchful eye of Jesus. I don't know about you, but for me this brings a much deeper peace than remembering to put everything on the to-do list.
Most of the time we align our lives with only a half-truth of reality, forgetting that Jesus is indeed Lord of this world, and living as though we can control it all.
