I read two articles this morning. The first was about a woman fighting through an incurable brain cancer, and the other was about the growing risk of autoimmune diseases, especially as people get older. While both articles seem pretty grim in my synopsis, from the first article I saw hope as she moves forward with treatments with the aspiring to beat the disease. With the latter article I saw something similar, but also a doctor’s advice that stress really needs to be managed effectively to help fight inflammation, which a lot of autoimmune diseases have.
Without question, I know I need to manage stress. As a person that’s into the details and the presentation, I can sometimes make a mountain out of a molehill as I complete housework or food prep, create a gift for a loved one, or work on a project for work. In those moments that inevitably arise, I have to check my reaction. And not only my reaction in the moment, but how do I move forward from that moment. I cannot keep revisiting what went wrong.
Other areas of stress come from things completely out of my control. Back in February, we had a snowstorm that led to power outages around the city. The roads were not really safe to be on since we don’t have the salt trucks that they have in cities that deal with winter storms every year. We were okay with food for the first few days, and we did have power… But as those days turned into almost a week, our fridge, freezer, and pantry was getting bare. On the news, all I saw were long lines of people at stores and signs that said what was out of stock. I was low-key stressing about this situation. Though I stayed hopeful we could find something figured we would go to the expensive “healthy” grocery stores, I was not doing the best job at regulating my thoughts. When all was said and done, we went to a store that had just gotten a shipment, and since I was not eating meat, the rationed quantities of meat I did purchase was perfect for my husband. That situation showed me that God is in control! He will never put more on me that I can bear, and He will take care of us! That’s what I need to meditate on when situations look a little bleak.
God cares about the flowers in the fields and the birds in the air. Surely, He cares about us, and He will work ALL things out for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. I am sharing this online as a reminder to myself to think about those scriptures MORE than I think about what I cannot control!