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resurrection of the body reminds us of the im- work is to be on God, not our accomplishments.
portance of bodies. Stress management in this Accepting our limitations may allow us to set
sense is truly a spiritual endeavor. Stress ma- boundaries around our lives that provides the
nagement is not engaged just to relieve feeling body and soul the relief needed to rejuvenate.
of pressure. Stress management is taking care of Living life at full speed may be admirable from
ourselves because it honors God. a worldly or production standpoint, but in the
end, it leads to burnout. It also speaks to a life
A closer look at the scripture reveals Jesus’s per- that may be filled with pride in what one can
spective. Consider Mark 6:31-32, “Then, be- accomplish or alternatively, it could represent a
cause so many people were coming and going lack of trust in God. Letting go of our over-busy
that they did not even have a chance to eat, he agenda allows us to admit to God that he is in
said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to control and I am not. How much stress could be
a quiet place and get some rest. So they went reduced from our lives if we let go of co-depen-
away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place” dent behavioral patterns and trusted God? Can
(NIV). I have emphasized the quiet and solita- we take a day each week and rest in the biblical
ry place because one of the antidotes to stress sense? Some of us may struggle with this in our
and busyness is to retreat from it. Jesus prescri- busy, modern culture, but I am convinced that
bed this for his disciples and the application is God’s plan for rest was truly designed to benefit
clear for our lives too. Even from the beginning, our body, soul, and spirit.
God instructed humanity to have a day of rest.
Though there are several implications to a day Conclusion
of rest, at least one of them is that we need to re- The human person was designed as a body-
treat from our work. We need boundaries, even soul-spirit to be in relationship with God. The
around our schedules and work. The health of fall led to spiritual death as well as a life that
our body, soul, and spirit depends on taking quickly gets out of balance. In a fallen world,
a break from our work. Spiritually, it reminds we will experience stress and tribulation. The
us to be dependent on God, not ourselves. We experience of stress exacerbates our fallenness
quickly become spiritually unbalanced when we by its negative impact on our physical, mental,
depend more on ourselves and what we believe and spiritual life. Jesus reminds us: “I have told
we can accomplish than the God who gives us you these things, so that in me you may have
life and our work meaning. peace. In this world you will have trouble. But
take heart! I have overcome the world” (John
A couple years ago, I experienced an especial- 16:33, NIV). Stress will be part of life. Still, we
ly challenging time. I had let life and work get can have peace.
out of balance. When the academic year was
over, I engaged in a personal and private spiri- Though many stressors are out of our control,
tual retreat to the mountains. There, in a quiet some are within our ability to change or be re-
place, away from the distractions, I was able to duced. Whether we can control the stressors or
let go of the burdens I had let take over my life. not, it is imperative that we learn to manage our
I rested from my work, and I reconnected with stress as it ultimately allows us to care for our
God. Retreats can be seen as a weakness. But bodies which are temples of the Holy Spirit (1
retreats can be ways to regroup in order to fight Cor. 6:19-20). Changing our lifestyle can be a
another day. This retreat to a quiet place allo- way of honoring God. We can show more de-
wed me to rejuvenate spiritually, psychological- pendency on him and less on ourselves, which
ly, and physically. Spiritually guided retreats are is often rooted in psychologically misguided
excellent ways to deal with stress. attempts to deal with life, ourselves, or others.
A sabbath was designed by God to remind us There are many psychological tools available to
of our dependency on him as well as for body help deal with stress, but a biblically informed
and soul rest (Exod. 20:8-11). It is to be a holy psychology will also help us see our circum-
day and set apart for the Lord. Cessation from stances through the eyes of Christ who wants to
our work reminds us that our focus in life and mature us in Godliness and holiness.

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